Mixed Relations
by Duos Gurl1
Summary: A new girl has moved to Tokyo...one with the EXACT same hairstyle as Serena's. The generals are bickering, Beryl's called in the Cattivo Stelle, and what's with the mysterious eyes and voices? Also, is that static electricity in the air?
1. Beginnings

**Mixed Relations  
**

**Must Know Info  
**All right, before you read my fic, you need to know the timing and the characters. The story takes place at the beginning of Sailor Moon. You know with Beryl? It's going to start with all five scouts, instead of starting with Sailor Moon and gaining the others. The same goes for the generals. The only change is that Zoycite is a guy, like it was originally written, not a girl. Since this is my first fic, I'm only going to use the five original scouts, with the exception being Sailor Neo/India. I am going by the North American version of Sailor Moon, because that is the version of Sailor Moon that I'm more comfortable with. This is my first fic so I hope you like it. Thanks! Now it's time to sit back and enjoy the story!

This chapter is dedicated to six terrific girls. Those girls are Sakura, Kitsune, Serena, Aloris, Angel, and Star. Without you, this story would never have been written.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. Sailor Neo/India is a creation of my dear friend India. Please don't sue. I don't have the money to handle the lawyer or the therapy.

Authors Note: **Blah Blah Blah** Indicates a character's thoughts.

**Chapter 1  
Beginnings**

Serena sat looking out the window, daydreaming, while her teacher, Miss Haruna, went on and on about, what Serena thought to be, Geometry. Serena was daydreaming about nothing in particular, when all of a sudden…

"SERENA ARE YOU LISTENING? SERENA!"

Serena fell out of her chair and, with a look of embarrassment on her face, stood to receive Miss Haruna's scolding. When Miss Haruna finished, she sent Serena out into the hall so she could calm down and Serena could contemplate what she had done. Not like she didn't already know. On her way out, she looked over at three of her best friends, Amy, Lita, and Mina. They watched her walk out with sympathetic looks on their faces. While out in the hall, Serena thought, **GOSH! When am I gonna stop doing that? It gets more and more embarrassing each time it happens.**

While Serena was busy beating herself up, another girl was around the corner doing the same thing. At first, Serena was too busy griping herself out to notice that someone else was outside, but then when Serena stopped scolding herself long enough to take a breath, she heard someone else. She didn't recognize the voice, so she followed the sound around the corner. There, Serena found a girl that looked about her age doing what she had just finished. The girl had light colored skin, like she had parents that were Japanese and African American, and her eyes were a dark brown color. What really shocked Serena the most was that the mysterious girl had the EXACT same hairstyle as Serena. The only difference was the girl's hair was black and Serena's was blonde. Serena, not realizing she was moving closer and closer to the girl, was wondering what she got sent out into the hall for. Only when the girl turned and looked straight at Serena did she realize she was moving closer.

Serena stopped and stood strait up. There was a little bit of a pause before Serena thought of what to say. "Excuse me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on you. Hi! My name is Serena Tsukino. Do you mind me asking why you're out in the hall?"

The girl smiled and answered, "My name is India Present. It's nice to meet you Serena. Don't be sorry about intruding on me. I was just blowing off steam, trying to cool off. To answer your question, no I don't mind telling you why I'm out here. I'm out here because I was sleeping in class. My teacher is still debating whether or not to give me detention. I really hope he doesn't. I have a date with my boyfriend after school. What about you? What are you doing out here?"

Serena bowed her head and said, "I was daydreaming while my teacher was going over Geometry. I didn't mean to. I glanced out the window, for a small break from the lesson, thinking about how pretty it was outside and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor being yelled at by my teacher."

At this, India started giggling. Serena looked at her puzzled, and then started giggling herself. It was all they could do to keep from downright laughing. They were trying to be quiet because, if they were too loud, then the teachers would come out and they would be in even more trouble.

After a little bit, they stopped giggling and started talking. India revealed that she had just recently moved to Tokyo and registered at Crossroads Junior High that morning. So Serena told her a few things about the school and then talked about her friends while India talked about her interests and the reasons for her move. After a few minutes, the girls decided that when lunch started, they would meet up and Serena would introduce her to Amy, Lita, and Mina since India hadn't made any friends yet.

Serena said good-bye to India and went back to the outside of her classroom. Fortunately for her, she got there just as Miss Haruna opened the door and told her to come back in. When she sat down, she told the girls about India and how she was going to introduce her to them at lunch. The girls were eager to meet her and couldn't wait for the lunch to start.

What Serena or India hadn't noticed while they were talking, were two cats sitting outside on the windowsill. One was black and the other was white, both possessing a gold crescent moon mark on their foreheads. They sat and watched as the girls met and got along. When the girls went their separate ways, the cats looked at one another, nodded and jumped off the windowsill running in opposite directions.

* * *

Well that's it for chapter 1. How'd you all like it? Was it good? Please review and let me know what you think. If you have any suggestions, questions, comments, or would just rather e-mail me your review, then my e-mail is on my bio page. Talk to you next chapter!

Ja Ne  
Duos Gurl

P.S. Hey everyone! Go check out my other fic that I am co-writing with Midnight Melfina. It's called _Moon Sisters_ and it's under the name MidnightDuoLovers. We would really love it if someone would read it and give us some feedback. This Texas Gal and New York Chick want to know how we're doing .


	2. Destinies

Okay, I realize that not much had happened yet, but it was my first chapter so how much can you expect? Anyway, I want to thank all my friends who helped me make the first chapter possible and all the people who reviewed. I appreciate it more than you know. Now, time to read the second chapter. Enjoy!

This chapter is dedicated to all the wonderful people who reviewed chapter 1. Those reviews were my inspiration to write this chapter. Thank you guys.

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Authors Note: **Blah Blah Blah** Indicates a character's thoughts.

**  
Chapter 2  
Destinies**

Serena sat at her desk trying not to give in and go to sleep. She was ready for the lunch bell to ring so she could get out of the classroom. Sure, the break out in the hall and meeting India was great, and well appreciated, but that had been almost an hour and a half ago. She was trying her best to pay attention to what Miss Haruna was saying, but she was fighting a losing battle. Right as she gave in and fell asleep, the lunch bell rang, saving her from yet another embarrassing scene.

Serena sat up, smiled at the sound of the bell and started putting her things away. She was really looking forward to introducing India to Amy, Mina, and Lita. She just knew that they would all get along together. It seemed that India had something in common with each of the girls. She wanted to become a doctor just like Amy and she keeps to herself like Lita does when she's around new people. **But especially…she likes to play video games like Mina and I do!**

Serena stood up, stretched, and got her lunch. She looked at Amy, Lita, and Mina getting their lunches and asked, "Hey girls, why don't you three go on to lunch and I'll meet y'all there?"

"Why? We want to meet India." Mina said.

"I know, but I want to chat with her a little before she meets you guys. When I mentioned introducing her to y'all, she seemed a little nervous. I just want to try to make her feel a little more comfortable about the whole thing."

"That's true. Meeting new people usually makes anyone nervous. I know that's how it was for me." Amy said.

"Okay then. We'll go ahead to lunch and meet you and India there." Lita said smiling.

"Great! Thanks guys. I'll see ya in a minute, okay?" They agreed and walked out of class.

With her lunch in hand, Serena left the classroom and walked around the corner to see India leaning against the wall, holding her lunch in front of her, and staring intently at the ground. Serena noticed that her face held an expression of slight fear and nervousness. Right then, Serena made it her personal goal to make India relax and feel better about meeting the girls. She put on her brightest smile and walked up to her. "Hey India! Hope you're hungry, 'cause I'm famished. Come on. Let's go eat. I need energy." Serena then started to giggle.

"Looks to me like you have enough of that already. Are you sure you want more? You might have an overload." India started feeling a little more at ease and began laughing. **I know what she's trying to do and it's working.** India's smile grew and she smothered her laughter, although the laughter shown in her eyes. This did not go unnoticed by Serena. She linked her arm with India's and led her outside feeling that she had accomplished her goal.

Lita, Amy, and Mina stopped chatting and eating their lunch when they saw Serena and another girl, which they assumed was India, walking towards them. The girl looked about the same age as Serena, had light colored skin, and dark brown eyes. A second later, they gasped. She had the EXACT same hairstyle as Serena did. The only difference was that she had black hair. They looked at each other wondering the same question. **Why didn't Serena tell us India had the EXACT same hairstyle as her?** Then they realized that Serena never really paid attention to how someone looked. If she did, then she quickly forgot about it.

Serena talked nonstop until they came to the place under a cherry blossom tree where Amy, Lita, Mina, and her sat everyday for lunch. India felt a little better now that Serena had cheered her up, but she was still nervous when she came face to face with the girls. She stood smiling to the best of her ability, hoping and praying that they would like her as much as Serena did.

When Serena and India got to where the girls were, they had regained their composure, stood, and were smiling, happy to meet a new friend. Serena knew that India had gotten all her nervousness back when she saw the girls, so she took the initiative and introduced her. "Hey girls! This is India Present. India this is Amy Mizuno, Lita Kino, and Mina Aino." She said pointing to each girl as she said her name.

"Hello India. It's nice to meet you." Amy said.

"Hi ya. It's great to meet ya." Lita said.

"Hey! It's a pleasure to meet you India." Mina said.

"Hello. The pleasure's all mine." India said. She saw the girls' faces and knew by the look in their eyes that she had nothing to be worried about. She smiled even bigger then and Serena noticed this. She knew right then that India considered them all her friends.

Even though their lunch period was only 30 minutes long, to the five girls it felt like three hours. A few minutes before the end-of-lunch bell rang, Serena realized something. "Oh my gosh! I forgot about Raye!" She said with a hint of fear in her voice.

"You're right! I can't believe we didn't remember her." Mina said.

"Raye?" India asked puzzled.

"Let's not tell her about this." Amy said.

"Raye who?" India asked again a little louder trying to get an answer.

"Yeah, with her temper, there is no telling what she'll do if she finds out we forgot to mention her." Lita said.

"Who's Raye?" India asked Amy, knowing that she would be the only one to really answer her question.

Serena decided to answer India's question before Amy, or anyone else, had a chance to. "Raye is the priestess at the Cherry Hill Temple. She's a psychic and a really sweet person. Don't get on her bad side though. You try to pick a fight with her and she turns into a raging beast of anger and destruction."

"Serena be serious." Amy said sternly trying to get Serena to stop over reacting. "Just because Raye gets angry at times, doesn't mean you can call her a beast."

"You're right Amy, but you have to admit her temper can be bad at times." Lita said trying to be the peacekeeper.

By this time, India was laughing so hard that it was all she could do to not wet herself. "You guys are too much. I was worried that I would fall asleep next period, but now I know that I won't." She continued laughing.

Soon all the girls joined in with the laughing. They stopped when the end-of-lunch bell rang letting them all know that class was going to start again soon. The girls reluctantly got up, threw their trash away, and headed for class. They were walking down the hall chatting when Lita said, "You know India, we're all going over to Raye's after school for 'Study Buddies.' Do you wanna come? It would be a great time to meet Raye and we can guarantee she'll be in a good mood. We'll make sure to keep Serena awake so she doesn't get detention."

"Hey! I can stay awake if I really wanted to." Serena said defensively.

The group of friends, with the exception of Serena, started laughing at that comment.

"Yeah, it was a miracle that Miss H. didn't give her detention for spacing out." Mina said as the laughter subsided to a small giggle.

"Well, we're all going to get detention if we're late." Amy said trying to get to everyone to class. "India, we will meet you after school where we sat at lunch, okay?"

India smiled and said, "Okay. I will see y'all there."

With that, India went into her classroom and Amy hurried the rest of the girls around the corner and into their classroom. They sat down right as the bell rang for class to start. As usual, it took Miss Haruna 30 to 45 minutes to calm the class down. It always took her longer after lunch for some reason; Serena had a feeling that it was because the class's energy had been replenished by the food and the socialization with friends.

Miss Haruna started class and the day went on boring as always. Serena nodded off to sleep three times, but that was all the girls would allow her. They woke her up each time, but after the third time, they paid real close attention to make sure she never came close to going to sleep. They were determined to let India meet Raye in a good mood, so they didn't let Serena even think about sleeping.

Meanwhile, in another class, India was wide-awake. She wasn't paying attention to what her teacher was saying, but rather thinking back to what had transpired at lunch and wondering what meeting Raye would be like. She had met a lot of people, but none were as caring, friendly, and sweet as Serena and the other girls. Raye had to be like them or they all wouldn't be friends.

All of a sudden, India remembered something she had said to Serena earlier that day. It was all India could do to keep from jumping out of her seat and screaming. **OH MY GOODNESS! I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT MY DATE WITH DARIEN AFTER SCHOOL AT THE ARCADE! What am I gonna do? I'm supposed to go with the girls to meet Raye and for "Study Buddies" at the temple. Maybe the girls will understand. What if they're angry or upset? Nonsense, I know they won't be upset; they'll understand.** India took a deep breath, relaxed and attempted to understand what her teacher was talking about.

When the end-of-school bell rang, everyone was so happy to be done for the day. Serena couldn't wait to leave. She was mainly happy that she didn't have detention and she was shocked when Miss Haruna asked to talk to her after everyone had left the classroom.

"Thanks again Miss H. See ya Monday." Serena said with a smile as she walked out the classroom to meet up with her friends.

"What was that about Serena?" Mina asked concerned.

"Why do you have a huge smile on your face?" Amy asked puzzled.

"Yeah. I would have thought that you would be about ready to cry, as usual. What's the deal?" Lita asked.

Serena, smiling as large as ever, said, "She didn't scold me."

The three girls' jaws dropped. "WHAT!"

"Isn't that cool? She wanted to tell me that she was glad that I didn't fall asleep long enough for her to get on to me. She also said that she saw you guys keeping me awake. Then Miss H. told me that you guys were true friends and to make sure I thanked you all. So, thank you." Serena finished as she reached over and hugged all of them.

Each girl hugged Serena tightly knowing that what she said came from her heart. Then Amy asked, "Was there anything else she said Serena?"

Serena smiled and said, "Yeah. She said that if I brought in my homework, completed, on Monday, she would be shocked."

Hearing this, the girls started to laugh. Once they had control of their laughter, they headed on their way outside to meet up with India. Amy, Lita, and Mina knew that Raye always reserved time for Serena's detention. Everyday she would say be here at this time, but knew they wouldn't be there until after Serena's detention and would gripe her out when she finally showed up. Two of the three girls never shared this with Serena, because it wasted some "Study Buddy" time and they wanted to waste as much time as they could, with the exception of Amy, of course.

When they got outside and turned in the direction of the tree they had eaten lunch under, they saw India. The only difference was that she had a look on her face that said she was worried and scared about something. The girls speed up their pace and when they reached the tree, India stood and Serena asked, "India is everything okay? What's wrong?"

India decided to act as if nothing was bothering her. "What do you mean? Nothing is wrong." She said with a forced smile.

"That's crap and you know it."

"Lita's right. The look on your face says otherwise." Mina said.

"So what's wrong?" Amy asked.

India was touched. **I can't believe they know me well enough to know that something's wrong just by the look on my face. My face didn't express that much. Did it?** She then smiled sadly and said, "After lunch, I remembered something that could mess up the plans that we made."

"What was that?" Amy asked.

India looked at Serena and asked, "Serena, do you remember when I told you that I had a date with my boyfriend today?"

"Yes I do. When was it again?" Serena asked, hoping that the answer wasn't right after school.

"I'm sorry to say that it's after school at the arcade." India said with her head down. "I'm so sorry guys. I completely forgot about it."

"Well, what time were you supposed to meet him?" Lita asked with a little hope in her voice.

"I'm supposed to meet him around five. Why do you ask?"

"Well, what time is it now Amy?" Lita asked smiling.

Everyone looked at Amy, who smiled as well. "It's only three."

"There you have it. We have time to go to Raye's so you can meet her. Then we can go to the arcade with you and you can have your date with your boyfriend. Besides, we can play games and bug Serena and Andrew like always." Lita said.

Both Lita and Mina looked at each other and smiled devilishly. Serena saw this and jumped in. "Now you two just wait a minute. I know you both think Andrew is cute, but can you guys, just for one day, act like we're not there? Please?"

Mina and Lita started laughing and after a few seconds, Mina smiled and said, "Okay Serena. We promise we will only say hi and then we will go off with Amy and Raye to chat and play games, okay?"

Serena nodded, showing her appreciation, and the group of happily chatting friends set off towards the temple. When they arrived, they saw Raye in her temple robes, sweeping the shrine walkway. When Raye saw the girls, she waved and yelled hello. That was until she saw Serena. Raye stopped cold, her broom fell out of her hand, and it was all she could do to keep from falling over.

Dumbfounded, Raye asked, "Serena? Am I imagining this or are you here? On time?"

The girls laughed while Serena crossed her arms and said, "Yes Raye. It is I and I am here on time. Not on my own though. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the others. They made sure to keep me awake."

Raye looked at the girls astonished and asked, "Why in the world would you do something like that?"

Amy, Mina, India, and Serena chuckled while Lita smirked and said, "Because we made a new friend today and we wanted you to meet her in a good mood." Lita said.

"Raye, this is India Present. India, we would like for you to meet our dear, and sometimes bad tempered, friend Raye Hino." Mina said motioning to the girls as she said their names.

The girls shook hands and India said, "It's nice to meet you Raye. I have heard lots of good things about you."

"It's my pleasure. I bet you've heard nothing but bad things about me. I know my friends and I know they talk bad about me behind my back every chance that they get." Raye said while winking at her friends.

India giggled and replied, "I assure you, the only bad talk was about your temper."

The girls started to crack up. Raye picked up her broom, put it next to a nearby post, and said, "Let's go to my room. I'm sure Amy is just going crazy since we haven't started 'Study Buddies' yet."

Amy blushed and the others laughed. They were on their way to Raye's room when all of a sudden Lita and Raye heard a rustle in the bushes. They stepped in front of the other girls and Lita yelled into the bushes, "Whoever you are, come out and face us!"

As commanded, two cats walked out. One was black and the other was white, both possessing a gold crescent mark on their heads. Lita and Raye, feeling stupid, dropped their fighting stance and stood there while Serena picked up the black cat and Mina picked up the white one.

Serena turned to Raye and asked, "Raye, do you have any food these cats could have?"

Raye nodded and left to go to the kitchen while the others headed for her room. Once there, Serena and Mina began playing with the cats. "I wonder where they came from." Serena asked no one in particular.

"I don't know, but they're kawaii, aren't they?" Mina said smiling at the white cat.

"They sure are." Serena said in agreement.

By that time, Raye came back holding plates of food and semi warm milk. The cats ate as if they hadn't been fed in weeks and when they were done, they sat next to each other and listened to the girls chat about them. The girls were wondering where they got the crescent moon marks and what their names were. With these question heard, they looked at each other and nodded.

The black cat said, "My name is Luna."

There was a collective silence in the room as the white cat spoke. "My name is Artemis."

After a few seconds of strained silence, Serena, Raye, Amy, Lita, Mina and India all asked each other the exact same question. "Am I dreaming or did those cats just talk?"

"No, you are not dreaming and yes, we did talk." Luna said.

Everyone started to mumble to themselves and the mumbling grew louder and louder until Lita stopped it. "QUIET! Okay, let's think about this calmly and rationally. We know for a fact that cats do not talk, so why are you two talking to us?"

"That is a simple question to answer Lita." Artemis stated.

"Hey, how did you know her name was Lita?" Mina asked.

"That question will be answered shortly Mina." Luna said.

"We know who you all are: Serena, Raye, Amy, Lita, Mina, and India. We also know your boyfriends, India and Serena." Artemis stated a-matter-of-factly.

"Their names are Darien and Andrew correct?" Luna asked.

The girls were too shocked to answer so all they did was nod. Artemis continued. "We are not ordinary cats, as you can very well see. We were your advisors 1,000 years ago."

"1,000 years ago the entire universe was at peace. This time of peace was referred to as the Silver Millennium. The Moon was considered the center of the peace and the Moon was ruled by Queen Serenity." Luna said.

"Queen Serenity had one daughter whose name was Princess Serena. When she was given the throne, her title would be Neo Queen Serenity." Artemis said.

At this point, everyone looked at Serena whose eyes were wide and mouth was dropped open in disbelief. Artemis smirked slightly and continued. "Princess Serena had a court of princesses from each inner planet. Princess Amy was from Mercury, Princess Raye from Mars, Princess Lita from Jupiter, and finally Princess Mina from Venus."

"If that's true, then do I fit in somewhere?" India asked puzzled.

"Yes you do, India." Artemis answered. "During the Silver Millennium, Queen Serenity needed a messenger to deliver messages from planet to planet to maintain the peace between the planets. You were that messenger. The most important Peace Messenger. Each planet had their respective Peace Messenger and you communicated with each one, either delivering messages or receiving them. You were the Moon's Peace Messenger so, therefore, you had the most important job."

"The Silver Millennium was a beautiful time when everyone was happy and loved life. That was until the Negaverse attacked. The Negaverse was an evil empire that quickly dominated Earth and their next target was the Moon. Everyone on the Moon fought bravely and courageously, but in the end the Moon fell. Queen Beryl, the leader of the Negaverse, had snuck up on us and we had no way of knowing she was coming." Luna cut off, tears forming in her eyes.

Artemis picked up where she left off. "At the end of the battle it seemed that Queen Beryl and her Negaverse forces had dominated and won. She had taken Princess Serena, her court, and the Moon's Peace Messenger, as well as everyone still alive on the Moon. Queen Serenity had run out of options and knew that there was only one way to save everyone and get rid of the Negaverse and all its evil. She had to use the Silver Imperial Crystal. She knew that if she used the crystal she wouldn't have any power left to live, but that was a risk she was willing to take. So, when she used the crystal, she trapped everything in it; if she had destroyed it, she would have destroyed Princess Serena, her court, and the Moon's Peace Messenger along with everyone that was captured from the Moon."

Luna took over to give Artemis a break. "When everything and everyone was inside the crystal, Queen Serenity told us that she had enough strength to send everyone to a time in the future when everything was at peace again. She said that when she did this, no one would remember anything about the Moon or the Silver Millennium, and that if the Negaverse somehow broke free, our memory would be restored and we would know what to do."

"Which brings us to today. We have sources that say that the Negaverse has broken free and is planning to pick up where they left off 1,000 years ago. This is where you all come in." Artemis finished.

"What do you mean by 'you all come in?' What are we supposed to do?" Serena asked.

Luna and Artemis both jumped in the air and did flips. When they landed back on the floor, four colored sticks and two lockets were on the table between the girls and the cats. "If you take these you can stop Beryl's plans. However, we must warn you that if you take these sticks and lockets, you assume responsibility to protect the fate of this planet and the universe. Nothing will be the same as of this moment." Luna cautioned.

"What if we refuse? What will happen then?" Amy asked.

"If you refuse, you forget what we have told you and all the ones you care about as well as the entire universe are doomed. You six are the universe's last hope to live. The Negaverse is a very destructive evil and will cause misery, death, and chaos to everything it touches. We beg of you, please help protect the ones you care about, the world and the universe." Artemis finished.

The girls looked at each other and then at the sticks and lockets. Luna said, "It's a big decision that will affect the rest of your life. Think through it completely before you decide and know that you can refuse."

The girls sat, pondering on their decision. After about 20 minutes of silence, Serena spoke. "I've decided."

Luna asked, "What is your decision?"

"I've decided that I will do it."

"That's great. Thank you." Luna and Artemis said together.

"I've decided as well." India stated. "I accept."

Then one right after the other Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina said, "I agree."

By this time, Luna was on the verge of crying. "Thank you all so much. You will not regret this."

"Okay, now that we all agree, what are these for?" Mina asked.

Artemis said, "The four sticks are for the court. The blue is for Amy, red is for Raye, green is for Lita, and orange is for Mina. On top of each stick is the sign that represents your individual planet. The lockets are for the Princess and the Messenger. India your locket is the one that is star shaped and has a crescent moon in the middle. Serena your locket is the one that is a circle with a star on the front. If you look inside, your locket contains your mother's Silver Imperial Crystal. It will allow you to transform as well as many other things."

"These are your transformation devices. Keep them with you at all times, because you never know when the Negaverse will strike. Serena, you in particular, must keep the Silver Imperial Crystal from getting into Negaverse hands. They will try anything, and I mean anything, to get the crystal. The crystal will give them almost unlimited power and access to the entire universe and beyond." Luna warned.

"So now that we have these, how do they work?" India asked.

"Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina, you call out your planet's name follow by power. For example: Mercury Power, Mars Power and so on. India you say Neo Power, seeing as how you don't have a planet of your own, and Serena you say Moon Crystal Power. Just by merely mumbling these words, you transform into the mystical Sailor Scouts." Artemis informed.

"We almost forgot to tell you something. It is _very_ important that you DO NOT TELL ANYONE WHO YOU ARE!"

"Why not Luna?" Asked Serena.

"Because if the Negaverse finds out whom you are, then they will follow you and learn your life. In the end, they will use your loved ones against you. This fits into the category of them doing anything to win." Luna warned.

"Any questions?" Artemis asked. The girls shook their heads. "You can go ahead and transform now if you would like."

The girls said their phrases and magically transformed into the Sailor Scouts. After eyeing and talking about the sailor outfits, they de- transformed and were discussing what had just happened when India urgently asked, "Does anyone know what time it?"

Amy looked at her watch and answered, "It's 4:45. Why India?"

"How long does it take to get to the arcade from here?" India said with a small hint of panic in her voice.

Raye replied, "It takes about 10-15 minutes, depending on how fast you can run. Why?"

"OH MY GOSH! I'M GONNA BE LATE FOR MY DATE!" India cried.

"That's right! Let's go then. We got some major time to kill. We'll fill you in on the way Raye." Lita said.

"What about 'Study Buddies?'" Amy asked.

"I think we can forget about that Amy. At least for today anyway." Mina said.

"I guess you're right. Too much has happened for us to do school work." Amy agreed.

"Well, if you guys are through chatting, India has a date we promised to get her to. Now let's go! We have less than 15 minutes to get there." Lita yelled, already out the door and on her way to the stairs of the temple with the girls, Luna, and Artemis in close pursuit.

* * *

So how'd you like it? I know it's long, but I had a lot of stuff I needed to put in this chapter. Also, in case anyone is wondering, "kawaii" is Japanese for cute or adorable. If anyone would like to give me suggestions, comments, or criticism outside a review, then please e-mail me. Thanks again for reading. Till next time, take care.

Ja Ne  
Duos Gurl


	3. Strange Feelings

Hey Guys! Thanks for the reviews. They really mean a lot. Now it's time for the next part of my story. Enjoy!

This chapter is dedicated to a dear friend that inspired me to write. That dear friend is Serena.

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Authors Note: **Blah Blah Blah** Indicates a character's thoughts.

**Chapter 3  
Strange Feelings  
**

It had been a long, excruciating day, but Darien Chiba had managed to get through it. He was now on his way to the Crown Arcade and Restaurant to meet India for their date. All day he attempted to pay attention to his professors, but his thoughts kept going back to India. It always amazed him how much he thought about her.

Darien came out of his thoughts and looked around. He blinked as he realized that he had passed the arcade. **This can't be normal. If it is, then it's definitely unhealthy.** Turning around, Darien smiled and backtracked to the arcade. Just as he was about to walk in, Darien saw a dark figure within his field of peripheral vision. He turned, and saw no one there. He shrugged it off and went into the arcade. He smiled as his best friend, Andrew Furuhata, walked up to him and slapped him on the back. "Hey Darien! How was school?"

"Fine. I just couldn't focus today." Darien smiled.

"Let me see. Could it be because of India?"

"Yeah! How'd you ever guess?" Chuckled Darien.

"Ummm, 'cause that's always the reason?" Andrew asked with a smile. "Ya know Darien, I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"You're really going to like her. I can't wait to meet _your _girl as well. When are you going to set up a time for us to meet anyway? I'm sure that I will like her from all the things you've told me about her." Darien replied smiling.

"I know you will Darien. Trust me, I've been trying to, but its hard with her always having detention and then 'Study Buddies' with her friends after school. I made it a point to tell her not to come by and see me today though."

"Oh, really? Why is that?" Darien wondered.

"I told her a friend of mine was having a date here this afternoon. Besides, I didn't want to ruin your date by making you and India listen to Serena getting jealous. Her friends always flirt with me and Serena gets so mad."

Darien laughed. "That makes sense. Thanks a lot!" Darien smiled.

The two friends sat down at a booth and had talked for a few minutes when Darien looked at the clock with a worried look. **I wonder where India is? She is always on time. It's not like her to be running late.  
****  
**

**

* * *

**

**SHIT! I'M ALREADY 15 MINUTES LATE! DAMN TRAFFIC!** India mentally raged. It was 5:15 and India had completely forgotten about the downtown traffic. Everyone was trying their hardest to cross the street, but the crosswalks were packed tight and they weren't getting anywhere.Finally, after several pushes and apologies, the girls were finally on their way to the arcade. India had left everyone far behind, hoping they would forgive her later. The other girls knew what was fueling India and decided to slow to a jog. They weren't the ones in a hurry, India was.

India rushed into the arcade at 5:18 and just stood there hunched over breathing deeply. After a few seconds of much wanted and needed breath, India looked up and scanned the arcade for Darien. She found him and a blonde haired guy, who she assumed was Andrew, sitting at a booth looking at her. She started to walk over to them when her knees buckled. She was falling fast and was sure she was going to hit the floor. The next thing she knew, she was being held by someone.

"India, are you all right?" Darien asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just let sit me down for a little bit. Don't worry." India added when she saw the worried look on Darien's face.

Darien knew what she was trying to do, but he wasn't going to argue. With Andrew's help, Darien began helping India to the booth where they were just sitting. As soon as Andrew touched India, they both thought the same thing. **WHOA! What in the world was that?** Andrew and India looked at each other and locked eyes. Then they blushed and looked away a few seconds later. Darien didn't see this and proceeded to seat India. Seeing that Darien had things under control, Andrew left to get India a drink.

Just as India sat down, Andrew brought her a glass of ice-cold water, and then slid in on the opposite side of the booth while a worried Darien sat next to India.

"India, what on earth is wrong?" Darien asked her as she drank the refreshing water.

When she finished drinking, she sighed and looked at Andrew. "That hit the spot. Thanks Andrew." She then looked at Darien. "Nothing. I'm just tired. I guess it's from the running. I'm not use to it."

"Why were you running?" He asked with dark blue eyes full of concern.

India smiled. "Because I made some new friends today and they invited me over to study with them after school. Well…"

India then thought back to what happened and remembered what Luna had said. "_It is very important that you DO NOT TELL ANYONE WHO YOU ARE!_" **I guess I shouldn't tell Darien about the others and me. He probably doesn't even know who they are, but still, I don't want to put him in any form of danger.**

"Well what?" Darien prompted.

"Well, I kinda lost track of the time and when I remembered to look at a clock it was already 4:45. I would have been here a little after five, but I forgot about downtown traffic. Ya know what?"

"What?" Andrew and Darien asked.

"Crossing downtown at five is a bitch." India said with a smile.

At this, the guys started laughing. Then Darien asked, "What are your friends' names?"

"Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina." India replied smiling.

"Wait a minute, Serena Tsukino?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, why?" India asked looking at Andrew.

"That's my girlfriend."

As if Darien had a light bulb turn on inside his head, he remembered to introduce them. "Oh my gosh! I forgot to introduce you two. India this is my best friend, Andrew Furuhata. Andrew this is the best girl of all time, India Present." Darien said proudly.

"Nice to meet you India. I have heard nothing but good things about you from Darien. In fact, you're all he talks about." Andrew said with a smirk, receiving him a scowl from Darien.

India blushed a little then laughed. "It's a pleasure to meet you Andrew. I've heard plenty about you as well. Darien talks about you a lot too."

Then Darien said, "I'll go get you some more water India."

Darien's comment fell on deaf ears as India and Andrew locked eyes again. **What is going on? What is this feeling I have? I've never felt like this before.** India thought.

Meanwhile, Andrew was thinking, **What the hell is going on? This is my best friend's girlfriend. There is no way I can be having feelings for her.**

After a few seconds of tension filled staring, India saw the girls walking up to the arcade. Thankful for the distraction, India stood up and went to greet her new friends. The girls entered with Serena in the back complaining about how tired she was. Darien was coming around the corner of a counter with India's water when he saw Serena and froze.

"Guys, I am so very sorry I left you all behind." India said hoping for forgiveness.

"It's okay. We knew you were in a hurry to get here." Lita said.

"Yeah. Besides, Serena was whining about how tired she was anyway." Raye said, looking at Serena.

"I was not Raye. I was just trying to get you guys to slow down. I was wanting to give India some time alone with her boyfriend." Serena thoughtfully covered.

Lita smirked and said, "Sure you were Serena." The group of friends then started laughing. Serena, on the other hand, was fuming because her friends were making fun of her.

India then noticed Darien standing nearby and said, "Oh! I almost forgot. Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina this is my boyfriend, Darien Chiba. Darien, this is Amy Mizuno, Raye Hino, Lita Kino, Mina Aino, and…" India was cut off by Darien, who had thawed and was moving towards Serena.

"And this must be the famous Serena Tsukino I've heard so much about. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard lots and lots of great things about you from Andrew." Darien said walking up to Serena and shaking her hand. When Darien and Serena touched, they both flinched at the spark they felt. **What was that?** They both wondered.

"It's nice to meet you as well Darien." Serena responded quietly.

At that very instant, everything in the world, except for Darien and Serena, seemed to disappear. **I must have been running too hard. This feeling I have must be a side effect.** Serena denied.

**Oh! Now I know this can't be right. This is Andrew's girl and I have India. So why am I feeling something for Serena?** Darien thought.

India, not seeing them flinch or the way they were looking at each other, went on with the conversation. "And I'm sure you all know who this is." India said motioning toward Andrew.

"Hey Andrew! What's up?" Amy greeted.

"Not much, just the usual. You guys are kinda early. I thought you would show up later. What's the occasion?" Andrew asked somewhat puzzled.

"Well, would you believe that Serena didn't have detention today?"

Andrew's jaw fell open. "Are you serious Raye? How in the world did she pull that off?"

It was Lita's turn to explain now. "We met India today at school and we wanted to introduce her to Raye when she was in a good mood. Well, Serena's snooze hour is after lunch so Mina, Amy, and I kept her awake all through class so Miss H. wouldn't give her detention."

"And with Serena not having detention and all, we convinced Amy to let us end 'Study Buddies' early. That, and we promised to get India here on time for her date. Which really didn't happen, did it?" Mina said.

"No, but that's okay. That allowed me to meet India." Andrew smiled and glanced at India. India glanced as well, but only after Andrew looked away.

Darien and Serena had broken eye contact and were now listening intently to the conversation, trying to figure out what was being said. As well as trying to avoid thinking about what had just happened.

"Say Mina, whose cats are you holding?" Andrew asked.

"Well, we're not sure. We found them at Raye's temple earlier. I think that Serena is going to take the black cat and I'm going to take the white cat."

"Cool! What are their names?" Andrew asked, as he went up and started petting them.

"Well, this is Luna and this is Artemis. Cute aren't they?" Mina said, smiling at the purrs that Luna and Artemis were making.

"They sure are."

"Well guys, since the introductions are finished, why don't we sit down and relax?" India asked.

"I have a better idea. Why don't _you_ go sit down and relax with Darien, while Serena goes with Andrew, and _we_ will go discuss plans for 'Study Buddies' tomorrow?" Amy proposed, winking at India.

India, catching onto what Amy was talking about, winked back and said, "Okay Amy. Thanks."

So the group of friends divided up. Darien and India sat down at the booth, Andrew and Serena went to the counter, and the rest went to the farthest table away from the two couples so they wouldn't interrupt them.

As soon as the girls and the cats were alone, Luna asked, "Artemis, did you feel that?"

"Yes, I did Luna. Do you think it might be the enemy?"

"I think so. I mean I felt that before we came in here, but now…"

"There is the same feeling we had when we first saw the girls." Artemis finished.

The girls, now totally confused, all looked at Amy for an explanation, which she didn't have. "Wait a minute. What are you two talking about?" Amy asked.

"Opps. Sorry girls. We have a habit of doing that." Luna apologized.

"To put in simple terms, remember when we were explaining about the Negaverse and stuff? Well, we forgot to mention that our purpose is to be your guardians. Since we are your guardians, we have the ability to sense good and evil presences." Artemis said.

Luna continued. "On the way here, we sensed an evil presence near by that only got stronger and stronger the closer we got to the arcade. But, when we stepped into the arcade…"

"The sense of an evil presence diminished considerably and a sense of goodness took over. The sense of evil is still there, but it is very faint because of the overwhelming sense of goodness here." Artemis finished.

"I felt that too." Raye confessed.

"We figured you did Raye. You're a psychic after all, so you can sense the presence of good and evil as well." Luna replied.

"Well, if Raye can sense good and evil, then can we?" Mina asked.

"Yes, but it will take some time. You all are very new to this so it will be a while before you can sense these presences." Artemis explained.

"Okay, we understand. Do you think the evil presence you felt was the Negaverse?" Amy questioned.

"We're positive it was." Luna answered.

"Okay, that answers that question. What do you think the good presence was?" Lita asked.

"We are not quite sure of that yet, but we feel as if we will find out soon. Right Artemis?"

Artemis nodded and said, "Very soon."

While the girls continued chatting with the cats, Darien and India were sitting at the booth just mindlessly talking. "I'm really sorry for being late today Darien. I hope I didn't worry you too much."

"Well, not too much. I mean I was worried, but not a lot." Darien replied, his thoughts returning to Serena. **What I'm worried about is what happened earlier with Serena.**

They had been doing this for a while. One would talk and the other would reply and then both would slip into a confused train of thought. **What's going on? I don't understand what happened between Andrew and me earlier. What does it all mean?** India thought.

As far as Andrew and Serena were concerned, they were doing the exact same thing. "You know Serena, I am very proud that you didn't get detention today." Andrew said smiling.

"Well, as you know, it wasn't because I didn't _want_ to sleep, it was because the other girls wouldn't _let_ me sleep." Serena replied, smiling back.

"True, very true." Andrew said.

"I really am sorry I came to the arcade today, Andrew. I completely forgot about your friend having his date."

"It's okay Serena. Besides, everything worked out. I've been trying to get you and Darien together so you two could meet and I needed to meet India anyway." Andrew said.

At the mention of Darien, Serena spaced out. **What happened? This is exactly what I have been trying to avoid thinking about. This feeling I have for him isn't right. What is it anyway?**

But Serena wasn't the only one spacing. Andrew was doing his share of it too. **This is driving me crazy! What is going on? I have Serena and she's a terrific girl. Why do I feel this way about India, _Darien's_ girlfriend?**

By now, everyone was doing his or her own thing, when suddenly…

"AHH! SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME!"

Everyone jumped up and ran outside. "What the hell was that?" They all asked in unison.

"It seems that it came from the park. You guys go call for help and we will go check it out, okay?" Raye said.

"No. I'll go with you while Andrew goes and calls for help." Darien said, not wanting to leave India and, surprisingly enough, Serena alone.

All the girls looked to Luna and Artemis and they shook their heads. Raye could feel it too and by the look on Raye's, Luna's, and Artemis's faces, they knew it was "Scout business."

"No! It's fine Darien. We will be careful. Stay here with Andrew." India said.

The girls then ran toward the park not giving Darien the chance to argue. Darien stood there thinking, **I feel as if I should be going with them to help, but why?**

**

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**

Well, there is chapter 3. Was that okay? It wasn't as long as the last one, but not short either. I was going to end the chapter with, _"B__y now, everyone was doing his or her own thing, when suddenly…"_ but I decided not too. Mainly because that would be really mean and I wouldn't like an ending like that, especially with as slow as I update. So I decided to be kind and go a little more with the story. However, don't think I won't do it later on . Well anyway, that's enough out of me. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll hopefully see you next time.

Ja Ne  
Duos Gurl


	4. Who Were They?

Hey All! Don't be surprised if this chapter is a bit on the long side. After 10 months of not writing, my imagination was revved up and kept spitting out one idea after another. Well, I'll shut my trap now and let you read. Enjoy!

This chapter is dedicated to four special gals. Without any one of these girls I would have stopped writing a long time ago. To all my sisters, I love you all so very much and will always be here for you. You all have made such a difference in my life and I know we'll never be apart. Love you Sakura, Kitsune, Serena, and Aidan! ..

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Authors Note: **Blah Blah Blah** Indicates a character's thoughts.

**Chapter 4  
Who Were They?**

It was a beautiful day outside and a tired Tokyo citizen had just crossed the main streets of downtown Tokyo on her way home from work. "Man I'm beat. All this stress from work is starting to get to me." She sighed heavily as she passed others on the sidewalk. She was thinking about what she was going to do when she got home when she smelt the lovely aroma of flowers. She stopped and saw that she was in front of the park. "I think I'll take a walk through the park before I go home. I don't know why, but the park always seems to relax and calm me. After a day like today, it seems like the perfect remedy."

The tired citizen took one step into the park and already felt better. "I knew this was the perfect thing for me." With every step, her smile grew and she felt more rejuvenated. She walked through the park enjoying the fragrant smell of the flowers around her, for it was the beginning of spring and everything was in bloom, letting her surroundings relax her. The birds were chirping happily in the trees and the wind was blowing ever so softly.

It wasn't until she was halfway through the park that she noticed something. "I wonder why there are hardly any people here? The park is usually bustling with couples and people relaxing after work. Oh well." She shrugged and then a rose bush that she hadn't seen before caught her attention.

"When did that get there? I was here three days ago and this wasn't here. Oh well, however it got here, I hope it stays. Look at it; it's gorgeous. I think I'll take a rose home for my roommate. She loves roses." She bent down and picked one. She smiled at the beautiful rose in her hand when the rose looked up, smiled in return, and then bit her. "What the…AHHH! SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME!"

The rose bush had turned into a monster and the rose that had bit her remained there while she was screaming in agony. The monster was acting like it was completely deaf. "Well, it seems this park has raised your energy. I don't know what it is about this place, but all the humans I've gathered energy from have had more energy then when they first walked in. Your energy will be most helpful."

The creature smirked, removed the rose, and stuck it to himself like it was a leech. "We don't want to waste any of your precious energy now do we?" The monster then put his mouth where the rose first bit and started drinking her energy as if it was milk. Within seconds she was on the ground.

"Please help me. Someone…help……me." Then she lost consciousness.

* * *

**I don't know why, but I feel like I should go and protect them. I mean, I know that India can take care of herself so I have nothing to worry about with her. According to Andrew, Raye is into martial arts, Lita can handle anyone, Mina can fight if she has to, and Amy is smart enough to fend off anyone who confronts her. What gets me the most though is that I'm more worried about Serena than anyone else. This is too confusing. **Darien shook his head and walked back into the arcade to see Andrew yelling into the phone.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN PRANK CALL! LISTEN HERE LADY…DON'T YOU HANG UP ON-" Andrew yelled, slamming the phone down while mumbling curses under his breath.

"Andrew is everything okay?" Darien asked with a concerned look.

Andrew just stood there a few minutes breathing deeply, trying to get his temper under control. After what seemed like forever, Andrew asked, "Now I am. You want something to drink? Ice water okay?"

"Sure. What was that all about?" Darien asked, referring to the phone call. Darien walked over and sat down at a booth waiting for Andrew's answer.

Andrew got two glasses, filled them with ice and water, and joined Darien at the booth. "Well, when the girls mentioned calling for help, I ran in here and dialed the police. The lady who answered asked me what was wrong and I explained to her what had happened. She repeated what I said and then asked me my age. I asked her why she needed my age and her reply was that that line was for emergencies only, not prank calls. Then before I could say another word, she hung up on me."

"I wonder why she thought it was a prank call?"

"Who knows? I don't want to think about it anymore."

Andrew took a drink of his water and thought about India. **Snap out of it Andrew! You've got to stop thinking about her. **Andrew told himself.

Meanwhile, Darien was staring at his glass of water when he saw an image of Serena in the water.** DAMN! Why can't I get you out of my head?**

"Hey Darien?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think In…uhh…the girls are okay?" Andrew asked.

"I'm sure they are fine. They are all capable of taking care of themselves." Darien said. **All except Serena, that is.**

After a few minutes of silence, Andrew slammed his hands down on the table. "I can't take this anymore! I feel like I should be helping the girls!"

"I know what you mean, but what can we do?" Darien asked.

"I don't know." Andrew replied, defeated.

The two friends sat thinking at how helpless they were, when Andrew got up. "You want some more water?"

"Yeah, but I'll get it." Darien said getting up as well.

Even though their glasses were pretty much full, the two guys walked toward the bar, hoping that it would take their minds off of India and Serena. All of a sudden, Andrew dropped his glass and grabbed the sides of his head. Darien looked at him with a worried look. "Andrew, what's wrong?"

"I don't know; it's my head. One minute it was fine and the next…" Andrew trailed off, dropping to his knees, clutching the sides of his head.

Then Darien's head started to throb in pain too. "What's going on?" He asked, kneeling to the floor as well. Then the two friends collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

* * *

"I hope we're not too late."

The six girls were running toward the park with Luna and Artemis in front.

"I hope so too, Mina." Lita agreed.

The group of girls were standing outside the entrance of the park when Luna said, "Girls, you better transform."

"Luna's right. You never know what the Negaverse has up their sneaky, slimy sleeve." Artemis said.

"Right!" The girls said in unison.

"Mercury Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Venus Power!"

"Neo Power!"

"Moon Crystal Power!"

The Sailor Scouts now stood before the entrance of the park. They advanced forward a few steps, all on their guard watching for anything out of the ordinary. "There is definitely something evil at work here."

"I agree Mars. Mercury, touch your left earlobe." Luna instructed.

She did so and a blue visor appeared across her eyes. "What is this Luna?" She asked puzzled.

"It's a mini computer, as well as a scanner. This will help you against the Negaverse. This is another mini computer that you can use when in or out of your Sailor Scout form. The visor and the mini computer are directly linked so you can use them together." Luna explained, doing a flip in the air and laying a blue item that looked liked an organizer, with the Mercury symbol on top, at Mercury's feet.

"Thank you Luna." Mercury said with a smile as she bent down and picked up the mini computer.

"Mercury, why don't you try out your new computers by scanning the park and seeing what we're up against?"

"Okay Artemis. Now, let me see…" Mercury said.

While she was scanned the park, the other scouts were still on their guard. The birds had stopped chirping and the negative vibes that filled the park had drowned out all the pleasant emotions and feelings that it normally gave off.

"Luna? Do we have any weapons that we can fight with? I mean, I don't know about the rest of the girls, but I certainly know that I'm not that skilled when it comes to fighting."

Luna smiled and said, "Don't worry about a thing Neo. You all have a special attack that is for you only. You can even combine them if you'd like. You don't have to worry about what you have to do in order to form the attack either; it will come to you when you want to attack. It will be as if it was second nature to you all along." Before anyone could ask any more questions, a sound came from Mercury's visor.

"There!" Mercury exclaimed, looking up and pointing toward the middle of the park.

"Let's go!" Jupiter said and took off running.

The scouts followed suit and ran off toward the middle of the park, with Luna and Artemis in tow, hoping against hope that they weren't too late. The group quickly arrived at the spot where the monster had attacked. When they got there, they saw the helpless victim fall to ground, unconscious. Before any of the scouts could retaliate another mysterious being appeared next to the rose bush monster. "Well done, Rosy. Queen Beryl will be most pleased with the ample amount of energy you've gathered." The mysterious being said.

The monster faced the mysterious being and kneeled. "Thank you, Master Jedite. Your praise is an honor."

"If we continue collecting energy like this, the Negaverse will be ruling the universe before you know it." Jedite said with an evil laugh.

"Wanna bet!" A voice said from the trees in front of the evil duo.

Jedite's laughter died and the monster stood. The two searched for the source of the voice. "Who's there? Where are you? Show yourself!" Jedite demanded.

"I think you should be more concerned about 'the ample amount of energy' that pathetic excuse of a monster stole." Another voice said from the trees located behind them.

Jedite grinned, turned around in the direction the voice came and replied, "Oh really? And why is that?"

"Because it is about to be returned to its rightful owners." A third voice said from the trees to his left.

"And how, exactly, will that event take place?" Jedite asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"Easy, but instead of telling you, why don't you and that sorry monster come and find out for yourselves." A fourth voice taunted from the trees located to his right.

Jedite grinned. "No thanks. I don't have time to deal with weakling humans playing hero."

"I assure you, we are not 'weakling humans playing hero.'" A fifth voice said from within the trees to his left.

Jedite's grin fell. "Then show yourselves!" He yelled, losing his patience and facing the trees to his left.

"And put an end to this wonderful conversation that is pissing you off so royally? That would take all the fun out of it." A sixth, and final, voice said from inside the trees behind him.

Jedite, his patience now gone, yelled, "Stop playing around and show yourselves!"

The six girls smiled and said in unison, "We thought you'd never ask!" The girls jumped from the surrounding trees and stood before Jedite and his monster looking to fight and kick some butt.

In the order that they taunted Jedite, they revealed who they were.

"I'm Sailor Moon!"

"Sailor Jupiter!"

"Sailor Mercury!"

"Sailor Venus!"

"Sailor Mars!"

"Sailor Neo!"

"And we are the Sailor Scouts!" The six finished with pride.

Jedite stood and examined the group of girls. **Hmm…the one with the raven black hair is quite the looker. What the hell am I thinking! I'm supposed to be working, not checking out other girls. Especially since the girl is the enemy. Come on Jedite. Get your mind in gear!** After giving himself a mental shake, Jedite bestowed an evil grin upon the girls. "The Sailor Scouts? Never heard of ya. Guess you really are weakling humans playing hero."

"Care to put that theory to the test?" Sailor Moon challenged.

"Hmm…sounds interesting. Rosy, dispose of these pesky sailors. I do not wish to waste any more of my time with them. We have other appointments to keep."

Rosy kneeled and said, "Yes my master." He stood up and faced the girls. "Now, which one of you wants to go first? Or would you all rather perish together?"

The scouts stood staring at the monster, not believing what they were seeing. Rosy was touching every rose on his body. **What is he doing? I really don't think I want to know. That's it! Time to end this freak show. **Sailor Moon thought.

"How dare you take a symbol of love and mutate its beauty to something of pure evil. We are the Sailor Scouts and in the name of the Moon, we will punish you!"

Rosy burst out laughing. "Punish me? I'd like to see you try it."

Sailor Jupiter smirked and said, "Well come on then you poor excuse for a monster. Let's fight!" Jupiter then got into a fighting stance.

"What!" Rosy's relaxed demeanor disappeared immediately and an aura of complete hatred replaced it.

"You heard her. I've seen scarier monsters in weak ass horror films. You can't hold a blade of grass to them." Sailor Mars stated.

"Why you…!" Rosy charged toward the girls. Seeing and expecting the charge, they easily dodged, but not before Rosy succeeded in attaching one of his mutated roses to Sailor Moon and Sailor Neo.

"You call that a charge? Please, my little brother could do better." Moon said after she turned and faced Rosy.

Rosy, with his back to the scouts, started laughing. "You Sailor Kids are _so_ naïve."

The scouts looked at one another confused. "What are you talking about?" Sailor Venus asked.

Rosy turned and faced the group of teenage girls with a wicked grin on his face. "Your observation skills are laughable. That will be your downfall in this battle."

"You're not making any sen-" Mars started, but was cut off by the screams of Sailor Moon and Sailor Neo.

Rosy's eyes had widened and turned blood red and the wider his eyes grew, the louder Sailor Moon and Sailor Neo's screams became.

"What's wrong with them?" Jupiter asked Mercury.

"Let me check." Sailor Mercury answered touching her left earlobe. After a quick scan, Mercury said, "It's the roses! He must have attached them when he passed them."

Jupiter looked toward Rosy with her fists balled. "Why you…!" Jupiter charged Rosy, who attached a rose to her as well. She stopped and said, "What the…?" Jupiter then began screaming along with Moon and Neo.

"Stop it!" Mars screamed. "Stop stealing their energy!"

"Steal their energy? I'd never dream of it. My roses are just biting them and sending electric shocks throughout their bodies…at the moment. Their energy will start leaking out of their bodies in an agonizing slowness momentarily. That's when I will collect it!" Rosy stated with an evil laugh.

"Not if I can help it!" Mars yelled. "Mars Fire Ignite!"

Rosy heard Mars talking and said, "Huh?" Next thing he knew, fire was flying at him. He had just enough time to dodge the attack. When it passed he said, "Watch it Pyro! You almost hit me!"

"That was the point." Mars said with a roll of her eyes.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!"

Rosy suddenly found himself surrounded by fog. "Hey! Where'd y'all go? Come out and fight!"

"As you wish." Venus said with a smile. "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"

"Crap!" Rosy exclaimed barely dodging Venus' attack.

While Rosy was trying to regain his composure and think of a way to defend himself, he failed to realize that he had stumbled right into the path of Mars. "Got ya." Mars mumbled. "Mars Fire Ignite!" She was standing so close to Rosy that he had no time to dodge the attack so it was a direct hit.

The fog cleared and Rosy stood hunched over, his breathing labored, and, with what could only be described as, blood flowing out from his body. After a few moments, Rosy stood straight up with his eyes flaming red. "DAMN YOU, YOU PYRO BITCH! MY PRECIOUS ROSES ARE BURNT! NO MORE PALYING GAMES! YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" Rosy then began screaming at the top of his lungs.

Meanwhile, a distracted Jedite was standing off to the side pretending to watch the battle from the trees. **Well, well, well…looks like Mars packs a pretty powerful punch. Nothing attracts me more than a beautiful, if not gorgeous, woman who is strong and can handle herself.** Jedite thought with a pleasing smile on his face. **WHOA! Calm down Jedite. Take control of the hormones; don't let the hormones control you.** Jedite then stole a glance at Mars. **I can't help it if I'm slightly, emphasis on _slightly_, attracted to her. What's a guy to do!** He then heard Rosy's scream. Hearing Rosy reminded him that he was close to a battle and needed to focus his thoughts on it. **All right, no more thinking about Mars. My attention will be solely on the battle. Hopefully anyway.** So with a determined set to his jaw, Jedite forced his mind back to the battle.

"Watch it scouts. He's gathering his energy." Mercury warned touching her left earlobe.

"NOW YOU DIE!" Rosy screamed. The decibel of his scream skyrocketed and left the scouts covering their ears trying to withstand the pain. While they were temporarily paralyzed to do anything, Rosy took this chance to attack. He stopped screaming and took off.

The scout's ears stopped ringing so they removed their hands and opened their eyes to see Rosy running. "He's going for Moon, Neo, and Jupiter!" Venus exclaimed.

Moon, Neo, and Jupiter had passed out by now from the loss of their energy, but their faces held expressions of pain. Mars, Venus, and Mercury all looked at their fallen comrades. They would have attacked, but Rosy was moving too fast for them to hit him. The fallen scouts were helpless. "No!" All three yelled in unison.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, red and white roses struck the ground in front of the fallen scouts. Rosy continued running, not realizing the roses were there because of his outraged state. He collided into something and fell back. The roses had constructed a barrier between the scouts and Rosy.

With his attention distracted, Rosy returned to normal. Dumbfounded, Jedite, Rosy, and the scouts stood starring at the two roses.

"What the…?" Jedite said stunned. Then a male voice was heard from the surrounding trees.

"A rose is a symbol of true love, happiness, and everlasting friendship. The rose represents a true bond between friends and loved ones."

Another male voice then spoke from the trees. "The meaning and or purpose of a rose vary greatly with each individual person. Generation after generation has passed down the general understanding for the rose. But you, you have destroyed decades worth of happiness and love."

"We will severely punish any Negaverse Sleeze Bums for the manipulation and distortion of this treasured symbol." The two voices finished in unison.

"And who is this 'we' that is supposedly going to 'severely punish' the 'Negaverse Sleeze Bums' that we are?" Jedite demanded.

"As you request." The two voices answered. With the dimming of their voices, rustling from the surrounding trees was heard as the owners of the voices revealed themselves. Two figures jumped from the trees and landed between the unconscious scouts and the enemy. "That 'we' would be us!"

Jedite, Rosy, and the scouts all stared at the two new individuals. They were tall males dressed in tuxedos with a cape, holding a cane, and wearing a mask on their faces. The only differences between the two were one had black hair, a black tuxedo, a black cane, and wore a white mask and the other had blonde hair, a white tuxedo, a white cane, and a black mask.

"I am Tuxedo Mask." The one in the black tuxedo said.

"And I am the Neo Knight." The guy wearing the white tuxedo said.

"We will never let the Negaverse win!" The two proudly finished.

"Tuxedo Mask and Neo Knight, huh? Never heard of you two either. Rosy, take care of them as well." Jedite commanded.

"You got it Master Jedite. It'd be my pleasure." Rosy grinned evilly. His eyes turned blood red and he charged at the two guys standing in front of the unconscious scouts. "I'll get rid of you all! Starting with those scouts."

"No you don't." Tuxedo Mask drew a red rose out of his tuxedo and hurled it at Rosy.

"Huh?"

"Bloody Rose Fury!" Swiftly, the single rose quickly multiplied into many and each rose attacked Rosy, each drawing blood on contact. Then, instead of falling after the attack, each rose turned around and came back for another attack. After the second attack, on its path back to Tuxedo Mask, the roses returned to one just as quickly as it had multiplied. Tuxedo Mask saw the rose, caught it, and held it looking at Rosy on his knees, blood flowing out from all over his body.

During Tuxedo Mask's attack, Neo Knight turned and tended to the scouts. He removed each rose from their bodies and laid them on their backs. The scouts looked merely asleep with the roses no longer connected to them. Neo Knight stood in the middle of the three scouts and said, "Neo Healing Wave." A dim light surrounded his body and almost instantly, the light flowed, like a wave, from him to surround each scout. Jedite, Mars, Venus, and Mercury stood stunned as Moon, Neo, and Jupiter rose to their feet, as if nothing had happened at all.

After a yawn and a good stretch, Neo said, "Man! I feel like a million bucks."

"I know what you mean. I could really get use to this." Moon stated.

"That makes two of us." Jupiter agreed.

"Glad to see you all back to normal." Neo Knight said smiling.

"Yes, now we can finish this." Tuxedo Mask said, with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"That's right. We're in the middle of a battle." Neo said.

"Yeah, with that annoying loud mouth rose bush." Jupiter said angrily.

Before anyone could say anything else, Venus yelled, "Watch out!"

All attention turned to Rosy, who was standing hunched over, blood covering his body. "Hey! Cape Boy!"

"What is it you bloody mess of a monster?" Tuxedo Mask replied.

"What do you think you're doing? That hurt like hell! I won't let you get away with it!" Rosy then became surrounded by a red aura.

"I've had about all I can stand of this monster." Neo commented.

"I agree completely." Jupiter agreed.

"Then it's about time we terminate this fight." Moon said determined and confident.

Everyone then turned his or her attention to Sailor Moon.

She reached and grabbed the tiara off of her head. "Moon Tiara Magic!"

"No you don't." Rosy said, dodging the attack. "Now it's my turn."

"Guess again." Moon said with a smirk.

"Huh?" Rosy turned around and had no time to dodge this disc shaped object coming back at him. "NO!" He was hit and, screaming in agony and defeat, became a pile of dust and disappeared. The energy that he stole returned to their owners when the dust disappeared.

"Ha! Moon dust! Gotta love it!" Sailor Moon smiled.

Jedite stood off to the side fuming. "I can't believe this. How could Rosy be defeated? By weakling humans no less."

"Face it, Jedite. We aren't weakling humans!" Mars yelled at him.

For a few short seconds, Mars and Jedite starred at each other with kindness in their eyes, but that quickly disappeared and fire took its place.

"You won't get away with this. I'll get you next time, you pesky sailors!" With that said, Jedite disappeared and the park returned to the joyful place of refuge.

"Good job today Sailor Scouts." Tuxedo Mask said.

"Keep up the good work." Neo Knight said with a smile.

The two turned to leave when Sailor Moon and Sailor Neo called after them. "WAIT!"

The two stopped, faced the scouts, and Venus asked, "Who are you?"

The two looked at each other and then back at the scouts. "We cannot say." Tuxedo Mask answered.

"Well are you friend or foe?" Mercury asked.

"We are your friends and will always protect you." Neo Knight promised.

The comment was directed to all the scouts, but Neo Knight and Tuxedo Mask were looking at Sailor Neo and Sailor Moon as if making a personal promise to them.

"See you again." Tuxedo Mask said with a wave. The two then jumped into the trees and out of sight.

Moon and Neo stood starring after them. **WOW! What a babe. Stop it Serena! You're taken remember?**

Neo was doing much of the same thinking. **MAN! What a hunk! Wish I knew who he was. Damn! No I don't. I have Darien. What are you thinking, India?**

While the other scouts could be heard talking with Luna and Artemis about the battle, Tuxedo Mask, and Neo Knight, Sailor Moon and Sailor Neo couldn't help but wonder the same thing. **Why do I feel as if I've met him before?**

As the scouts mulled over their thoughts about the battle, Tuxedo Mask, and Moonlight Knight, a pair of glowing eyes gazed at the Sailor Scouts and there guardians. The eyes stopped glowing and an unconscious young woman appeared on the ground behind a bush. She went unnoticed to the Scouts, but the owners of the once glowing eyes smiled.

* * *

Goodness! I thought I'd never finish that chapter. I hope that you liked it. That was my first attempt at writing a fight scene. How did I do? Anyway, I've got to get to work on chapter 5. Things start to get a little more interesting then. Take care!

Ja Ne  
Duos Gurl


	5. New Acquaintances

Hey Everyone! Just in case anyone else noticed that Serena wasn't acting like her normal ditzy self, it's because I want to portray her as a somewhat mature person. She will definitely be smarter, braver, and quicker to figure things out in this story, but she'll also have her klutz moments too. Just trying a new view of Serena is all. I really hope you all like this chapter. Enjoy!

This chapter is dedicated to those who reviewed for chapter four, as well as Kitsune and Serena. Without their quick thoughts and helpful ideas this chapter would have been out months from now.

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Authors Note: **Blah Blah Blah** Indicates a character's thoughts.

**Chapter 5  
New Acquaintances**

"Great job today girls." Luna said.

"Yes, not too bad for your first battle." Artemis said with a smile.

The girls sat in Raye's room enjoying the feeling of victory. After the battle was finished and all the commotion had died down, the scouts de-transformed and headed back to the arcade. They were trying to think of ways to explain what had happened in the park, but when they walked into the arcade, they saw Lizzy, Andrew's younger sister.

"Hey Lizzy!"

"Oh! Hey there Serena, India. Hey girls! How's it goin'? Haven't seen y'all around much lately."

Serena smiled and replied, "It's goin' okay. I know. I haven't seen you around much either, but it isn't my fault. It's _their _fault." Serena said while motioning to the girls behind her. "They're the ones always making me study. All study, study, study; no fun at all." Serena finished with a smile.

Lizzy laughed when she saw the other girls send Serena death glares. "Don't worry Serena. That's what I've been doing lately too so you're not alone."

"Yeah we gotta keep her in line. If not, she'll get left behind while we all go to high school." Raye taunted.

Serena briefly glared at Raye then, with a confused look, asked, "Hey Lizzy?"

"Yeah Serena?"

"Where's Andrew at?" Serena replied.

"And Darien too?" India also asked.

"They said they had something they forgot to do."

"Well did either say what it was?" India asked.

"No they didn't."

"Hmm…Andrew didn't tell me anything." Serena said.

"Neither did Darien." India agreed.

"Hey, don't worry you two." Amy said.

"Yeah, it's not like they're out fighting evil or anything." Lita said.

"I know, but it's not like Andrew to forget anything." Serena stated.

"That goes for Darien as well." India agreed.

"Calm down guys." Raye said trying to lighten the mood. "Let's go back to the temple and chill for a bit before it gets too late."

"That sounds great!" Mina said, glad for the change in topic.

Everyone else smiled.

"To Raye's then." Amy said. She then mumbled, "Maybe we can actually get some studying in."

The girls heard this and all said in unison, "Yeah right Amy!"

Amy faked a pout and said, "Well you can't blame me for trying."

"Bye Lizzy!" All the girls said.

Serena and India started to say something, but Lizzy beat them to it. "And no worries you two. When they get back, I'll tell Andrew and Darien y'all were looking for them and to call you later."

The two friends smiled in appreciation. "Thanks Lizzy!" They said together. With that, the group of friends left for the temple.

"Earth to Serena? Hello Serena?"

"Huh?"

"What's the deal? You were out at the Moon. What's wrong?" Lita asked.

"Me? Oh nothing. Just thinking back through today's events. That's all." Serena said with a smile.

Everyone knew she was lying, but they also knew she was really thinking about Andrew. Unfortunately, they also knew that she wouldn't admit the truth to anyone, except to herself. Especially since the truth was about one of her newest friends' boyfriend and not her own.

Amy looked over at India and realized that she was spacing too. While Lita was talking with Serena, Amy slightly nudged India. "India? Is everything okay?"

India jumped slightly, looked at Amy's concerned face and smiled weakly. "Yeah. Everything's great. I was just thinking about Darien." **Liar. Liar! LIAR!**

Amy smiled and said, "Don't worry too much hun. I'm sure that he's perfectly fine."

India faked a stronger smile and said, "You're right."

"So girls, let's discuss Tuxedo Mask and Neo Knight." Artemis said.

With that comment heard, India and Serena, who had pretty much been on the Moon ever since the battle, perked up and paid _very_ close attention.

"Do you know them or at least recognize the names?"

"No we don't Amy. We don't know who they are at all, _but_ their presence seemed really familiar…somehow." Luna responded.

**That's what I thought.** Serena and India thought.

"Well whoever they are, I trust them." Mina commented.

"I agree. I mean I don't think it's possible that they could be from the Negaverse." Amy said.

"Their aura seemed pure."

"Luna's right. They didn't give off even the slightest bit of negativity. Not like Jedite did." Artemis pointed out.

With the mention of Jedite, Raye journeyed to her own side of the Moon. **This is nuts. Why do I continue to think of him? What was that I felt during the battle earlier today? This is too damn confusing! Then I couldn't stop looking at him! True, I didn't completely turn and stare at him, but I couldn't stop glancing at him through my peripheral vision either. I was just keeping an eye on him is all. Yeah, he's the enemy; you never know what tricks they might pull. That's all I was doing, keeping track of him. At least, I hope that's all I was doing.**

With the sound of laugher, Raye came back home and tuned back in.

Amy yawned and said, "Well guys I don't know about the rest of you, but that battle today took it out of me. I'm gonna go on home and get to bed. We might be Sailor Scouts, but we still have school on Monday."

"You're right Amy. I'll head out too." Mina said.

"Same here. Oh, and Serena, don't you have homework to get done? I'd really like to see Miss H. freak out if you handed it in after a day without detention." Lita smiled.

"Thanks a lot Lita. I wanted to forget about that. I guess you're right though. I think we all would like to see her face on Monday morning. I'll go home and do it." Serena said with a tone of seriousness.

"WHAT!" Raye said astounded.

"Oh back off Raye! This is a once in a lifetime thing. It's only 'cause I want to see Miss H's reaction. It's not a permanent habit." Serena defended.

Raye let out the breath she was holding and replied, "Good thing Serena. I was beginning to think that you were actually trying to get good grades and not embarrass Andrew anymore."

"Oh shut up Raye!"

Everyone started laughing.

"Calm down you two. Not tonight." Lita said.

"Artemis, you're coming with me and Luna's going with Serena right?" Mina asked.

"Yes, if that's okay with you two?" Artemis replied.

"Oh it's perfectly fine with us." Serena answered.

"Besides, you could keep after her about her schoolwork Luna." Mina said with a giggle.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ya know, one of these days I'm gonna show you all." Serena declared.

Everyone started to laugh. "Well come on guys, we better go before it gets too much later." India reminded them.

They all gathered their things and Raye walked with them to the stairs at the entrance of the temple. "Bye Raye!" Everyone said in unison.

"See ya guys!" Raye stood waving bye to them till they were no longer in sight.

As Raye was heading back to her room, she thought, **Why do I have a feeling this is gonna get even more interesting and complicated _very_ soon?**

**

* * *

**

"That was definitely a different experience Darien."

"You're telling me. I wonder why we, of all people, were picked to play this role?" Darien said looking at the red rose in his hand.

"I dunno. I do know that there must have been a good reason why we were chosen though." Andrew said looking at his white rose.

"Guess Lady Fate has more in store for us then we expected."

"Yeah." Andrew replied thinking back to earlier at the arcade. "Lita couldn't have been farther from the truth." He accidentally said aloud.

"What?"

"Sorry, I was thinking back to earlier when we were in the back of the arcade when the girls came in. I was remembering Lita's comment."

"Oh okay. You're right; she couldn't be farther even if she tried." **I'm just glad that Serena was all right. I'm glad she didn't see the battle. I wouldn't want her to get hurt. Darien what are you saying! You should be worried about India, not Serena!**

"I wonder…"

"What Andrew?"

"I was just wondering who the scouts are." **Especially Sailor Neo. I'd really like to meet her.**

"Me too, but I guess we can't worry about that too terribly much."

"You're right. We need to focus on the Negaverse. I'm sure that Jedite isn't the only obstacle we have to deal with."

"I agree. I think that this Queen Beryl person that Jedite mentioned is the ringleader. I just wish we knew more about what they were planning."

"Yeah, but we do know that whatever it is they need energy to do it, so I guess that's a little bit of a lead."

The two had stopped talking and were focused on their thoughts when they heard a dong from a nearby clock.

"Goodness! I didn't know how late it was. I need to get home and call Serena. I'm sure she is worried about me." **I wonder if India is worried too? **Andrew thought before he could catch himself. **No you don't moron! **

"Yeah you should go. I'm sure that India is worried about me as well." Darien agreed as his thoughts filled with Serena and not India. **This is not right. Why do you haunt my thoughts?**

"See you tomorrow Darien."

"Yep! Later Andrew!"

With that, Andrew walked out of the apartment and left with his thoughts on India. **Why do I feel this way about you India? I can't fight the fact that I feel something for you, but the question is why?**

After Andrew had left, Darien walked out onto the balcony of his apartment and stood staring at the Moon. **What am I gonna do? Lady of the Moon can you help me? I've believed in you since I was a little boy and somehow you have helped me through all the trials in my life. Is their any way you can help me through this one? Every night I dream of you and I know that you are always there for me. Please help me! **"What am I suppose to do about these feeling for you Serena?"

* * *

"JEDITE!"

"Yes Queen Beryl?" Jedite said bowing in front of a female with flaming red hair. She was sitting on an evil looking thrown with her hands on either side of a staff that held a clear orb at it's peak.

"You have failed. Why is this?" Queen Beryl condemned.

"I…uh…ran into a little trouble."

"Oh? Ran into a little trouble?" Beryl asked curiously. "What might that little trouble be?"

"Six girls in sailor outfits that call themselves the Sailor Scouts. Then there was Tuxedo Mask and Neo Knight, two boys wearing a black and white tuxedo." Jedite answered embarrassed.

"And these wretched humans defeated you? One of the four great generals of the mighty Negaverse!" Beryl asked appalled.

Jedite frowned and replied, "That is correct."

"Well, I'll give you another chance, seeing as how they just snuck up on you. Next time you better not fail."

"Thank you Queen Beryl." Jedite bowed and said, "I will not fail again."

As he turned to walk away Beryl said, "Oh and Jedite?"

Jedite stopped and turned around. "Yes Queen Beryl?"

"Next time you go, take the other generals with you. I want to put a stop to these pests before their problem progresses any further."

"As you wish. I already have a plan that involves them and would easily defeat the Sailor Scouts your majesty."

"Oh?" Beryl asked, now curious.

"Yes." Jedite then began to reveal his plan to Queen Beryl.

"Hmm…it sounds promising. I approve. Get rid of those pests this time Jedite."

"Yes My Queen." Jedite bowed then turned around and left.

He walked back to his quarters where the other generals were waiting.

"So Jedite, I heard you failed today." Zoycite taunted.

"Yeah, word has it you were defeated by worthless humans."

"Shut up Malachite!" Jedite yelled. "You would have been too. All of you would."

"Calm down Jedite. We know that. We want to be ride of them just as much as you do. We just love the fact that it was you that failed and not us." The other generals laughed while Jedite sent death glares at them. "So when are you planning your next attack?" Nephlite asked.

"I was thinking that we would enroll at the junior high next week to find the perfect target. Younger humans always have more energy."

"WHAT!" The three said in unison.

"You expect us to mingle with those disgusting humans?" Zoycite questioned.

"Yes I do, and so does Queen Beryl." Jedite said with a huge grin on his face.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Malachite asked.

"Yep."

"I can't believe you went over this with Queen Beryl before us. Shouldn't we know ahead of time?" Nephlite questioned.

"Maybe, but I also knew that if I went over it with her first, and she approved, then there was no way you could back out of it. Besides, Queen Beryl said that she wanted the pests gone before they got out of control and this seemed to be the best way to do that."

Malachite sighed. "Fine, what school will we be attending?"

"You can't really be serious about this Malachite?"

"We have no other choice Zoycite. We don't want to go against Beryl. You know how powerful she is." Malachite explained.

"I guess you're right." Zoycite said, giving in. "So Jedite, what wretched human school will we be attending?"

"Well you three will be attending Crossroads Junior High School."

"Wait a minute. If we have to attend some human school, so do you." Nephlite said annoyed.

"Chill out. You three are going to Crossroads while I am going to a private religious school near by." Jedite explained.

"Why not have like two and two?" Malachite asked.

"Well the private school is the second school that Queen Beryl had a feeling about, the first being Crossroads, but there aren't as many students there as at Crossroads. So, Queen Beryl said that we should go three and one."

"Okay then, that makes sense, I guess. When are we enrolling?" Nephlite asked.

"Well today is Friday so we enroll first thing Monday." Jedite stated.

* * *

India sat in the study of her house, holding a phone to her ear.

"Yes, I know you didn't mean to. I was just wondering what had happened since you never forget anything." She sat listening patiently to the reply. "That's fine. I'm just glad nothing was wrong; that's what I was primarily worried about."

After a few minutes, she yawned. "Yeah, you're right. I do need to get some sleep. School tomorrow is gonna be hell. I hate Mondays." She smiled when she heard him laugh. "You get some sleep too. You sound exhausted." She grinned at the next comment and said, "Okay then, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams. Night Darien."

India hung up the phone, sighed, and made her way to say good night to her parents. With the good night's said, India went to her room and stood leaning against her closed bedroom door with her eyes closed. After ten seconds or so, she sighed, walked to her bed and got her stuffed purple dragon that held a white envelope between its upper claws.

With her dragon in hand, she walked to her window, sat down in her window seat, and looked at the Moon. **What are you doing India? You just got off the phone with your boyfriend and although you acted the same as always, maybe just the slightest bit distant, all you could think about was his best friend! **

India then looked away from the Moon and looked down at the dragon in her hands. "Oh Meilin how am I gonna deal with this? I've had you since I was three and you have heard all my problems and seen all my tears throughout the years. Even though you're a stuffed animal, I feel as if you've somehow given me the strength to make it through all those trials. Now is a time I wish you were real and could tell me what's happening and how to fix it."

She smiled weakly at Meilin, her true best friend for all eternity, and then looked back at the moon. As she sat staring at the luminous object in the sky, she thought about how Andrew looked when she first laid eyes on him. Just as that thought registered in her mind, a picture of Andrew smiling and waving flashed before her eyes, with the moon and dark blue sky as his background. India smiled warmly and thought **You look so natural there. As if you were born to fly and mingle with the stars.**

Her smile grew warmer and, with the stars above reflecting in her eyes, she said, "Oh Andrew what am I gonna do about you?"

* * *

Monday morning

Serena stood looking out at the horizon. "Man I'm tired. All that training Luna and Artemis had us do over the weekend was exhausting. Don't know why I'm up this early though."

She walked to a near by bench and sat down enjoying the small breeze blowing by her. **Guess it must have been because of _him_. Ever since I met Darien I have been having dreams about him. Why am I experiencing these feelings for him? I'm Andrew's girlfriend. He should be the one in my dreams. I should be more concerned that he was all right the other night. Not thinking about his best friend 24-7. Serena how are you gonna get yourself out of this one? **

She sat enjoying the moment a little longer when she absently looked down at her watch. "Uh-oh! Time to get going. I can't wait to see the looks on Miss H's and the girls' faces when I walk in on time _with_ my completed homework." With that, Serena hurried off to Crossroads.

As she walked along the sidewalk, she closed her eyes and thought **It's so nice to be able to walk to school instead of running. Much less stressful.** While rounding a corner, with her mind on her thoughts, she bumped right into someone and they both fell to the ground.

Serena, too embarrassed to look at the person she had klutzily ran into, started gathering her things and said, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going."

The other person, who was also gathering his things, replied, "It's all right. I wasn't either."

The two people froze as soon as the voices registered in their brains and the same thought ran through their minds. **It can't be! **They looked up and locked eyes. The two just stared at each other, different thoughts running through their minds, until he broke the eye contact.

"Hello Serena! On you're way to school?"

"HiYa Darien! Yes, just trying to show the girls I can be responsible."

"That makes sense."

Darien and Serena gathered all their things and stood up, a tense silence between them.

"I really am sorry. Guess I still have some klutz left in me after all." Serena said with a smile. **Why couldn't I have run into someone else? Anyone else: a cop, a thief, or even another friend! Why did it have to be _him_? But, for some reason, I wanted to see him this morning. I know I shouldn't, but I feel like I'm complete when he's around. **Serena shook her head to clear her thoughts. **Don't be ridiculous Serena! Darien is Andrew's best friend. You can't feel that way about your _boyfriend's_ best friend! **

"It's perfectly all right. It was my fault too. I was lost in my thoughts and not paying any attention." Darien replied, returning her smile. **Lady of the Moon I hope you have a good reason for making me run into her like this. I can't endure this torture much longer. Until I get these feelings figured out, I can't see her.** With that thought, Darien's smile lost some of its brightness. **Why do I feel like a knife has just been thrust through my heart? **

The two friends, with very confused thoughts, stood smiling at each other until Darien said, "Well I guess I better let you go. Don't want you to be late."

"Yeah. Sorry again. See you Darien." Serena said, walking away, her heart also in pain.

"Bye…Serena."

Darien stood watching Serena walk away. **Lady of the Moon, please help me figure this out. Soon!**

**

* * *

**

Serena walked into the classroom with a smile, enjoying everyone's dropped jaws. It was true she was on time, but what was even more astounding was the fact that she was ten minutes early. She walked over to Miss Haruna's desk, which Miss Haruna was standing by with her hand frozen in mid air, put her homework in the tray on the desk, and walked back to her seat. She sat her books down then proceeded to sit down in her desk. Everyone in the classroom followed every motion Serena made very closely, for no one thought it to be true.

"Serena?"

"Yes Miss H?"

"Are you feeling all right?" Miss Haruna had unfrozen, walked over to Serena, and felt her forehead.

Serena giggled. "Perfect, Miss H. Just felt like doing things a little different today." Serena finished with a bright smile.

"I think 'different' is quite an understatement Serena." With her comment said, the others in the class started laughing and she made her way back to her desk to finish getting ready for class.

After five minutes of senseless chatter, the school bell rang. Suddenly, three young men walked in. All conversations ceased and a curious silence fell of the room.

One of the guys, who had dark brown hair to his shoulder blades, walked over and handed a piece of paper to Miss Haruna. She read the paper and said, "Class, we have three new students today. Please tell the class your names and tell us a little bit about yourselves."

The three nodded and the one who gave Miss Haruna the paper went first. "Hello! My name is Neph Star and I'm 15. I originally lived in Kawasaki, but had to move to the United States because of my parent's jobs. Then last year we moved back to Japan. We now live in Tokyo where the company my parent's work for relocated."

When Neph finished, he turned to the guy with light brown hair the same length as his, though pulled back in a ponytail, and shook his head.

The young man with the ponytail glared at Neph slightly before he smiled at the class and said, "Hi! I'm Zoy Waters and I'm also 15." Not wanting to say much, he looked to the guy with the shoulder blade length silver hair and nodded.

The young smirked at him friends before he faced the class. "HiYa! I'm Mal Rose and I'm 15 as well. Zoy and I have the same story as Neph because both of our parents work with the same company and are the best of friends with his parents. We were brought up together so naturally we are as well. Zoy just doesn't like talking much in front of new people." Mal finished with a smile.

"Well it's nice to meet you all. I'm Miss Haruna, but you can call me Miss H. to the students. Welcome to Crossroads Junior High. I hope you enjoy it. Now let me see…" Miss Haruna trailed off looking at the class trying to figure out where to put them. "I'll put you behind Lita, Amy, and Mina. They are some of the top students in the class and will help you with anything you need." Miss Haruna said pointing to each of the girls.

When each set their eyes on each other, time seemed to freeze. Lita held eye contact with Neph, Zoy stared at Amy, and Mal and Mina were hypnotized by each other. After what seemed like an eternity, the three guys ventured to their seats, still gazing, mindlessly, at the three girls.

**Lita, calm down. Sure he's hot, but you can't just stare at him. He'll end up thinking you're some kind of weirdo and never talk to you. Who am I kidding? He's gorgeous! **Lita blushed a little at that last thought. She smiled, stood up, and extended her hand. "Hi! I'm Lita Kino. Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine Lita." Neph said shaking her hand. **Nephlite, what in the universe do you think you are doing? You can't possibly be feeling anything for this human girl! Then what was that I just felt?**

"Hello there. I'm Amy Mizuno. Welcome to Crossroads." Amy said, standing and extending her hand. **Well, this one sure looks cute. AMY! What are you thinking! You're supposed to help him get situated, not like him. Amy, don't fall for him. You don't have time for a relationship remember?**

"Thanks Amy." Zoy smiled and shook Amy's hand. **Calm down Zoycite! That jolt you just felt was only…static electricity. Yeah that's it, static electricity. Just 'cause you think she's gorgeous doesn't mean you can even think about anything besides your mission!**

**WOW! This guy is quite the looker!** Mina blushed a little then smiled, stood, and extended her hand happily. "Hello Mal! The name's Mina Aino. It's great to meet ya." **Cool it Mina! I know you think he's drop dead gorgeous with all that beautiful silver hair and that killer smile, but you can't have him. You're suppose to help him get settled, not fall for him and try to get him to be you're boyfriend. Well, not right now anyway.**

**Watch it Malachite. You're on a mission. Not a search for a girlfriend. **Malachite shook her hand and smiled. "Hi there Mina. I agree completely." **Okay, now that was just…I dunno what that was, but I'm not going to pay any attention to it. You have a mission to accomplish so focus on that. Focus damn it!**

After the class calmed down and the six new acquaintances finally finished shaking hands and were in their seats, Miss Haruna started talking. The six students, however, weren't paying attention to her at all. All their attention was focused on the person in front of or behind them. "Now we have to talk about volunteers."

"Volunteers for what?"

"Glad you asked Molly. Crossroads and the private school down the road are hosting a dance at the Millennium Palace that was just recently built. They asked all the teachers at the faculty meeting last week to mention it to our classes and get as many volunteers as possible to help put it all together. So who would be willing to help out?"

The six daydreamers heard the words Millennium and dance and said, "What!"

* * *

Raye walked into her classroom exhausted. "Man I ought to kill Luna and Artemis for making us train all damn day yesterday. It's bad enough I haven't gotten a lot of sleep because of Jedite and the Negaverse, but that early morning training session has about killed me. Watch me fall asleep in class today and get detention like Serena. Wouldn't she just _love_ that?"

She walked to her desk, sat down, and put her head down on her arms. "Just a little nap…" She mumbled as she quickly fell to sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, she had a dream about a young man, her age, and gorgeous as ever, walking into her class and saying he was a new student. Raye just looked at him with a déjà vu feeling. Right as he started to introduce himself, the bell rang and Raye woke up.

"Damn it all! Go figure, that always happens." Raye mumbled. She sat back, slightly annoyed, and waited for her teacher to begin the long day. Right as the teacher started, the door open and a young man with short blonde hair walked in. Raye mouth dropped. **It's him! The guy from my dream!**

The teacher looked over the paper that the young man handed him and asked that he introduce himself to the class. "Hello. My name is Jed Blaze and I'm 15. I recently moved back to Japan from being in the United States for a year and am glad to be home. I was born and raised in Kawasaki. I hope to make lots of friends here."

When Jed finished, the teacher welcomed him and told him to sit behind Raye. Jed looked to see who Raye was and, as soon as his eyes spotted her, he froze. **Why do I feel like I've met this girl somewhere? Better yet, what's this feeling? I'm a top general in the Negaverse; I can't have feelings like this. I won't allow myself to have feelings of any kind! **

Still staring, Jed walked towards Raye with his hand outstretched, reaching for hers. "Hello Raye. It's nice to meet you."

Raye smiled, blushed slightly, before replying, "Hi. It's a pleasure." Raye stood, shook his hand, and felt a light, warm shiver run down her spine. **What was that?** They both thought.

Both Jed and Raye each seemed lost in their thoughts. Finally, they sat down, allowing the teacher to begin talking. "Before I start the lesson, I have been asked to see if anyone would like to volunteer with students from Crossroads in the dance our two schools are hosting together? It will be held at the newly built Millennium Palace. Is anyone interested in volunteering?"

Only hearing the words Millennium, dance, and Crossroads, Jed and Raye snapped suddenly out of their contemplation. "Huh!"

* * *

That's the end of this chapter. What'd ya think? All comments and criticism, good or bad, are welcome. Well, that's enough from me. I'm gonna go start on chapter 6 now. Wish me luck and take care everyone!

Ja Ne  
Duos Gurl

P.S. Anyone want to read more of my work? Well partly mine anyway. If the answer is yes, then go check out _Moon Sisters_. It's under the name MidnightDuoLovers. This New York Chick and Texas Gal have been working diligently trying to get past the obstacle that our muse left us Go read it and let us know what you think. Bye!


	6. Interesting Athletics

Hey Everyone! I hope you all like this. If it is even the slightest bit crappy, please let me know. I like my readers to be honest with me. Some things might sting a little, but it helps my writing in the long run. Well, that's enough from me; on with the chapter. Enjoy!

This chapter is dedicated to Kitsune; without her helpful ideas, this chapter would probably still be suspended on the first page. Thanks a lot sis! ..

Disclaimer: See chapter one. Also, Mr. Sulie and Ms. Megami are my own creations.

Authors Note: **Blah Blah Blah** Indicates a character's thoughts.

**Chapter 6  
Interesting Athletics**

It was another beautiful spring day in Tokyo. The sun was shining through the trees while a slight breeze carried the sweet aroma of the surrounding flowers to the senses. The chipper birds sang their songs of peace and joy as a concerned protector absorbed his current situation and the present atmosphere. **Peace and joy?** Darien thought sitting on the grass looking at the site where the battle had occurred. "There won't be any peace or joy to speak of if the evil that is threatening it isn't dealt with. There has to be a way to find out more about this 'Negaverse' that Jedite spoke of."

Darien linked his fingers behind his head, leaned back, and stared at the canopy of trees hovering above him. With a deep, relaxing breath, he said, "Trying to answer all the questions right now won't accomplish anything. The only thing that'll accomplish is a massive headache. I'll just have to wait and see how the next battle goes. Who knows, maybe that idiot, Jedite, will give us all the answers we're looking for." Darien finished with a chuckle.

He sighed and closed his eyes. **Answers will come sooner or later, hopefully sooner rather than later though. Whether sooner or later, the Sailor Scouts, Neo Knight, and Tuxedo Mask will defeat this evil. Speaking of the Sailor Scouts, I wonder who they are? Sailor Moon was kinda cute.** With that last delightful thought, Darien drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

DING! DING! DING!

The bell echoed throughout the halls as the classroom doors swung open and the hungry students filed out. India met up with the other girls and they walked out the double doors to "their" cherry blossom tree.

Once everyone settled down and began eating their lunch, Lita asked, "Hey India?"

India froze with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich touching her lips. She lowered her sandwich and said, "What's up, Lita?"

"Did your teacher say anything about volunteering for a dance?"

"No he didn't. What's the dance for and where's it going to be at?" India asked intrigued.

"Get this…" Serena led, "it's at the Millennium Palace."

"What!" India responded shocked.

The girls giggled and Serena said, "That's how we all reacted."

India regained her composure and said, "Sorry about that. Just hearing anything about any kind of millennium palace after Friday's events caught me off guard."

"Tell me about it." Mina mumbled.

Amy, not wanting to leave India out, asked, "Would you like to know all the details that Miss H. told us?"

India smiled and replied, "Of course!" As Amy began, India started eating her sandwich, listening intently to everything Amy said.

When Amy finished explaining everything, India ate the last bite of her sandwich, took a drink of her coke, and said, "Well, it seems that this is going to be a big thing. Perfect too. I've wanted to go to the Millennium Palace since it opened. You guys are helping right? It should be fun and quite interesting with Raye helping out. I don't shelter a doubt that she will."

"Oh please!" Serena exclaimed, receiving everyone's questioning expressions. "We _know _she is going to do it. Even if it is only to torture and boss me around."

"Serena, you know that's not right. She'll do it to help."

"I know that Mina. I was just kidding." Serena said with a smile.

"Well, to get back to the subject, yes we are India. Since your teacher didn't say anything to you about the dance and the need for volunteers, would you like for us to tell Miss H. to put your name down with ours?"

"Yes, please do Lita. Thanks so much." India answered with a smile.

While the rest of the girls finished eating their lunches and chatted, Serena looked up at the cherry blossoms lingering above her.

"_Serenity, trust in your heart. Your heart holds all the answers you seek."_ **There's that voice from my dream again. I don't know whom the voice belongs to, but at the same time I do. **She stared intently at the cherry blossoms thinking back to her dream the night before.

Serena found herself standing in a garden with several different flowers and plants looking at a beautiful palace. She left the garden and wandered through a set of open stain-glassed doors. She walked around as if she knew the place well, but at the same time it was as if an invisible rope was leading her. Taking in all the gorgeous sights around her, she walked into a spacious ballroom.

She was halfway in the room when she noticed a painting on the wall. She walked over to look at it closer and froze. There was a woman standing on a cliff looking at the Earth with two pigtails being blown away from her head. **That picture…it's so familiar…and yet…mystifying.** Serena thought.

Feeling someone else was in the room, she turned and saw a figure standing in front of her. It was a woman with hair similar to her own wearing a very eloquent, beautiful, and regal dress. However, her face was masked by a shadow. **You are…**

Then a soothing and comforting voice was heard. "Serenity, trust in your heart. Your heart holds all the answers you seek."

**I hate dreams like that. It's gets to a really crucial part and then you wake up. What's the point in even having that dream? Still…I can't help but feel like whoever that person was that what she said is the key to figuring everything out. **_"Serenity, trust in your heart. Your heart holds all the answers you seek." _**I know you, but who are you? **

Not wanting to get the girls wondering about her absence of speech, Serena jumped right into the conversation first chance she got.

Amy took a deep breath and said, "Man that sushi hit the spot."

Serena raised her arms up in the air, stretched, took a deep, gratifying breath and said, "I'm so glad that I always bring my lunch."

"Please!" Mina exclaimed. "Serena, we all know that if Lita didn't bring extra food everyday, you would die of starvation."

Serena glared while Lita, Mina, Amy, and India burst out laughing. The bell chose that moment to ring.

Amy smiled and said, "Let's go guys. Got to get back to class. Remember, after Miss H. talks with us, we have gym class?"

"We remember. How could we forget?" Serena groaned. **Gym! **"I hate gym." She finished with an exasperated sigh.

"Cheer up Serena. Look at it this way, at least today is the day both our classes combine for gym."

Serena smiled and replied, "You're right, India. At least we all get to suffer together." Serena smiled brightly knowing that it would be a lot more entertaining with everyone together and that the teacher wouldn't split them up.

"Yep! Today is kickball day too. My favorite sport. I can't wait." Lita commented with a pleasing grin.

The five friends vacated "their" spot and made their way to the doors of the school. Following other students inside, the friends walked down the hallway laughing, talking, and giggling about anything and everything. Being lost in their own little world, the girls were oblivious to the hoard of chattering students walking around them. The group fell silent, however, when three very attractive boys came into view.

Lita, Mina, and Amy swallowed when Neph, Mal, and Zoy smiled at them. India asked, "Who are they?"

Serena quickly replied, "Oh, they are new here. They registered this morning." Serena then told India everything they had said about themselves.

"Wow! They are kinda cute." **Not as cute as Andrew though.** "But I'm already taken."India stated, mentally scolding herself for that thought.

"That's what I said too. They _are_ quite easy on the eyes." **But not like Darien.** "But I'm taken also." Serena replied, mentally slapping herself.

"There's the understatement of the year." India smiled.

Serena laughed and said, "Tell me about it. Guess we better get. Don't want to get detention."

India giggled. "Right. Raye wouldn't believe that we all had detention together. See you in a little bit." India waved to the rest of the girls and walked to her class.

The rest of the girls and the new guys walked into class and sat down right as the bell rang. After Miss Haruna got the class somewhat settled, she asked, "So, has anyone decided if they would like to help out and volunteer for this dance? If you'd like to, stand up and let me take down your names."

With that comment, Serena, Amy, Lita, Mina, Zoy, Neph, Mal, and a few other students stood.

Lita looked at Neph and asked, "You really interested in doing this?"

Neph smiled. "Yes. I've always been interested in helping whenever I could."

"Same here." Lita said smiling. **This is gonna be fun. Hope we get paired up to work together.**

Lita blushed and tried to focus on Miss Haruna. When she was done writing all the names down, Miss Haruna told the students to take their seats.

Lita raised her hand and asked, "Miss H?"

Miss Haruna raised her head to look at Lita and replied, "Hmm?"

"My friend, India Present, would like to be added to your list as well. Her teacher didn't say anything at all about the dance to her class."

"Alright Lita." Miss Haruna lowered her head back to her list and started writing. After a few seconds, she said, "She's added."

"Thanks Miss H." Lita said with a smile.

"No problem. Okay, now that that's all done, time for gym class. Have fun and don't hurt each other."

With that comment, everyone in the class got up and left. On the way there, India joined up with the rest of the girls. "Hey all!"

"Hey India! Did your teacher mention the dance?" Mina asked.

"No. I guess the old fool completely forgot about it."

"Oh well. Miss H. added you to her list just in case."

"That's great, Lita." India replied with a smile and looked across the hall at the three new guys that Lita, Amy, and Mina kept glancing at. **Hmm…that's weird. I get the feeling that something is wrong, but, at the same time, it's like everything is right. Oh well! No need to worry about it.** India shook her head and continued chatting with the others.

After a minute or so, the girls entered the slightly crowded Girls' Locker Room. The atmosphere was loud with chatter and giggling about the upcoming kickball game and the guys.

Mina, of course, was the first to finish dressing. She stood waiting for her friends to finish, but was losing patience with their sluggish pace. "Come on, girls! Hurry up and change or else we'll look like slow, lazy slobs in front of all the guys!"

Knowing that that would be the worse thing to do in front of the new guys, the rest of the girls quickened their outfit switches and were soon ready to play kickball.

The small group walked into the large gym and stood near the door that lead out to the fields where they would be playing kickball. Within a few minutes, everyone finished changing and was standing around the door, chattering, waiting for the coaches to arrive.

"This is going to be great!" Lita exclaimed happily. Mina, however, was the only one to acknowledge her agreement, for the rest of the girls were looking either at Zoy, Neph, Mal, or the approaching coaches.

Within moments, the two P.E. teachers were standing in front of the group of students. After a few seconds of stretched silence, Mr. Sulie said, "Okay, as you all know today we're playing kickball. Usually, we would split the guys and girls and have two separate games, but today we're trying something new."

"Today, we will be playing guys against girls." Ms. Megami finished with a smirk.

As soon as the news registered in their brains, the guys whooped happily and all the girls blushed scarlet red, of course excluding Lita and Mina, who were smiling broadly.

Following the guys' joyous outburst, the two smiling coaches said, "Now, let's head out!"

Obediently, the combined classes jostled and pushed their way through the doors and out to the vacant baseball field. Once everyone adjusted to the slightly cooler temperature due to his or her clothing and they had gathered around home plate, Mr. Sulie spoke once again. "Now, split up, males on the field and females behind the fence." The students quickly did as they were told.

"Sulie, we got a small problem. There are two more girls than boys. We gotta have one girl go over with the boys." Ms. Megami called.

All together, the girls glanced at each other and whispers were heard around the group as they all dreaded that they would be the one picked to join the boys' team. Ms. Megami then began weaving her way in and out of the newly formed smaller groups of girls and paused before the group of scouts.

Lita and Mina stood happily smiling at the possibility of playing with the guys, Serena and India stood nervously, afraid at the idea of being the only female on an all male team. Amy, however, stood with her head hung low, always being the embarrassed one, blushing a deep scarlet. Ms. Megami smirked and said, "Mizuno, you go over with the boys."

Instantly, the blue haired girl's head shot straight up, with her jaw dropped in surprise, trying to find a way to get out of it. Yet, she knew that it was better not to contradict her superior and went along with her decision. With a slightly frightened glance to her friends, Amy walked slowly and stiffly to the group of guys, receiving pity glances from all the girls, and unconsciously stood beside Zoy.

Zoy looked over at Amy and smirked. "Amy, don't look so scared. We aren't gonna bite you."

Amy looked up at him with a weak smile and replied, "I know that. It's just that I'm not very athletic and I don't want to make a fool of myself or make your team lose."

Zoy chuckled at her words. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Zoy said continuing to chuckle.

"Then why are you laughing?"

"I'm not. Amy, don't worry about making a fool out of yourself. Kickball is all about fun. You can't have fun if you don't relax. And what's with this 'your team' stuff? You're apart of this team too. It's _our_team, alright?"

Amy erased her weak smile and replaced it with the fullest, most sincere smile she could muster. "Okay. I'll try my best, general, sir!" She finished with a fake salute then turned her attention to the coaches who were explaining the rules.

Zoy, on the other hand, stood facing the coaches, but wasn't hearing a word they said. **General? That's right. I am a general for the Negaverse! I can't be nice to anyone. Then why was I nice to Amy? It's part of your cover; you _had_ to be nice to her. But why did I feel like everything in the world was right when she smiled at me? I better avoid this girl or she could prove to be a serious complication. Problem is, I can't stop thinking about her and I can't stop looking at her. **

"Zoy? Zoy? Zoy, you in there?" Amy asked while waving her hand in front of his face.

Zoy shook his head and said, "Huh?"

"You were out in space. Is everything all right?" Amy asked with a concerned look on her face.

Zoy smiled and said, "Yeah. No need to worry."

Amy smiled and said, "Good! 'Cause, like you said, 'kickball is all about fun. You can't have fun unless you relax.' So relax and come play some kickball with the rest of us."

Zoy smiled to the best of his ability and said, "All right." He turned his attention from Amy to the pitcher and watched as Melvin threw the first pitch. **Amy, why do you have this effect on me? **

What Zoy happened to overlook was the piercing looks that Mal and Neph sent him. When their looks weren't getting through to him, they looked at each other and thought the same thing. **Uh-oh! We've got a problem! **Neph and Mal were going to go and say something to Zoy, when Melvin threw his first pitch. They decided it could wait till later and dove, head first, into the co-ed game of kickball.

As it turns out, Lita was the first up to kick. Melvin threw the ball, which Lita missed because she caught Neph's eye. She smiled at him and then realized that she missed the ball. The girls stood shocked that she missed it, while Neph laughed.

"You call that a kick? Guess we won't have to take it easy on these poor girls after all team!" Neph finished with a challenging grin on his face. The other boys laughed while the girls glared daggers at Neph.

"Take it easy on us, huh? We'll make you eat those words, Neph." Lita said accepting his challenge.

"Now that's what I'm talking about. Let's play!" Ms. Megami exclaimed.

Melvin threw the ball and Lita mumbled, "Try and catch this one Neph." She then kicked the ball with all her might and it flew into the air. Up, up, up, and outside the invisible home run lines. All the girls cheered and all the guys stared in disbelief as Lita rounded the bases.

As Lita passed second base, where Neph was, she said, "Try and catch that one." With a wink, she continued to third and then home plate.

After the girls calmed down, Mina walked up to the plate. Mal, not being able to help himself, called, "Oh, look team! It's a blonde. Better watch it. She might end up kicking herself instead of the ball." Mal smiled as the boys laughed.

Mina glared at Mal and saw that he held the same challenging grin as Neph and decided to join in the fun. "Oh really? Well then, let's see you try this on for size." Melvin pitched and Mina connected. The ball skyrocketed and flew right above Mal and right out of the home run lines.

The girls cheered loud at a two to zip lead while the guys glared at Mal and Neph disapprovingly. Mina began rounding the bases and when she came to third, where Mal stood unhappily, she said, "Blonde huh? Try and catch up with that." She winked and made a big scene about touching home plate.

Before anyone knew what happened, the girls had three outs and the teams swapped places. First up to kick was Melvin. Molly pitched and he took a chance to steal for second, where Lita tagged him out.

Next up was Neph. "Catch this one, Lita." Neph smirked as Molly pitched the ball. He kicked the ball high in the air and started to run toward first, still smirking. He was halfway there when he heard, "Nice try!" Neph froze and looked toward second base, where Lita stood waving, the ball in hand. Neph walked off smiling.

Neph walked past Mal, who was standing by the plate, ready to kick, gave him a high five, and said, "Good luck pal."

Mal smiled in return and looked toward Mina, who was on third. "Watch and learn how it's done." Mal turned his attention to Molly. She pitched and he kicked. Mal ran to first and turned toward second when he stopped dead. He stood starring at Mina, who was standing next to Lita on second, and saw that she had the ball.

Mina smiled and said, "Nice lesson teach. Next time you might want to kick it higher and farther than the pitchers mound." Mal walked off the field smiling as well.

He walked behind the fence to stand next to Neph and Zoy. Zoy smiled and said, "I always said that your mouths get you in trouble. When will you listen?" He then started to laugh.

"Oh don't worry about that, Zoy."

"Neph's right. Our mouths might get us in trouble, but getting them back is gonna be fun." Mal said. The two friends stood smirking, thinking of ways to pay the girls' back until they had to switch again.

The game continued till Mr. Sulie blew his whistle and said, "That's it for today folks. Go inside, change, and meet back inside the gym to find out which team won."

The large group of students obeyed and walked back toward the school, chattering about the game. They entered the doors to the gym and the group spilt into two. Guys went to their locker room and the girls went the opposite direction to theirs. After about 10 minutes, everyone was assembled in the gym waiting to hear the results.

"Is everyone here?" Ms. Megami asked.

No one answered so Mr. Sulie continued. "All right then. The results from today's co-ed kickball game were Guys: 2 and Gals: 8. The females are the champions." The girls burst into loud cheers of victory while the guys stood glaring at Neph and Mal, who wore bright smiles.

Once the girls got their yells of joy out of their system, Ms. Megami said, "Okay, today's P.E. class is over. Go back to your homerooms and enjoy the rest of the day."

The students followed the instructions and headed back to class. The group of scouts were talking about the game when Zoy, Neph, and Mal came up to them.

"Looks like you beat us _this_ time, but you won't be as fortunate next time." Mal said to everyone, though he was looking right at Mina.

"Yeah next time we won't hold back."

Lita started to laugh. "'Hold back?' Oh please Neph! We _let_ you guys get those two runs. We'll kick your butts next time just like we did this time. Count on it."

Neph smirked and said, "We'll see about that."

India, who was looking at where Amy and Zoy were, noticed they were talking. She smiled as an idea formed in her head.

Serena saw her smile and asked, "Hey India, what's the smile for?"

"Oh! Nothing. Just remembered something." India cleared her throat and said, "Guys we need to get to class. Hey! Are y'all busy after school?"

Neph, Zoy, and Mal were caught off guard by her question, at first. After a few seconds, they looked at each other and then Mal said, "Not really. We were just planning on going home. Why do you ask?"

"That's great. Would you like to come with me and the girls up to the Millennium Palace?"

With that said, Serena, Amy, Mina, and Lita all looked at her and were about to say 'what!' when Neph said, "Sure! What time you want us to be there?"

India thought about it a minute and then answered. "Is five okay? We have to go and get a friend who has been dying to go to the palace first."

Neph smiled. "That's great. So do we."

"All right then. See you there at five. I've got to get to class so I'll see you then. Bye!" India walked off toward her classroom with the other girls in close pursuit.

While the girls chased after India, Zoy and Mal stared at Neph. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Malachite's right. Are you insane?" Zoy questioned in a hushed voice.

Neph chuckled and replied, "I know exactly what I'm doing and I'm still sane."

"Then care to fill us in here, Nephlite?"

"Gladly Zoycite. Here's the plan. After school's over, we go and meet Jedite back in the Negaverse as planned. We fill him in about what we're doing and he comes with us."

"Great plan, except how are we going to get him to agree to come with us?" Malachite asked.

"Simple, we tell him we are getting information about our next area of attack. The way I figure it, the site of the Millennium Palace is the perfect place. We could do it while everyone is there volunteering to get it ready for the dance. Plus those pesky Sailor Brats won't think that we would attack teenagers so why come up to the palace?"

Malachite and Zoycite agreed and walked into class, laughing, and found their seats.

Meanwhile, the girls were asking India the same thing. "What are you doing?

"I agree with Amy. Are you crazy?"

India smiled and said, "No, Serena, I'm not crazy and I know what I'm doing, Amy."

"Okay then, will you tell us what you're up to?" Lita asked.

"I will, but not now. Let's meet under the 'tree' after school and I'll tell you everything on the way to Raye's."

"But…"

"Opps! Sorry Mina. We got to get to class. See ya after school. Bye!" India walked over to her classroom holding a proud smile thinking **I am a genius!**

The girls stood watching India walk away not happy with the thought of having to wait. They all turned and walked into the classroom trying to figure out what India was planning. The girls walked to their seats still thinking when Miss Haruna stood up and asked, "So how'd the kickball game go?"

Suddenly the girls burst into an uproar about it while the guys remained silent. "Yeah we beat them badly." Lita said smilingly.

"You beat us this time, but next time _we_ will claim victory." Neph said.

Miss Haruna giggled and said, "Well I'm glad you all had fun. Now we get to talk about tonight's homework. Tonight I want you to think of what you could do to help get the dance ready, whether you volunteer or not. I want you to make a sketch of what it would be that you'd help out with."

The class stared at her in disbelief and wasn't about to asked her twice if she was serious. Miss Haruna continued talking about a few other little school announcements when the bell rang. "Remember! I want those sketches in the morning. Have a good evening!"

All the students gathered their things and left the classroom happy. Neph, Mal, and Zoy stopped the girls before they could go very far. Mal then asked, "See you at five at the Millennium Palace?"

"Yep, see you all then." Serena said.

They waved bye and continued to the "tree" to meet up with India. The guys, however, walked into the nearest guys' bathroom, made sure no one was in there, and then opened a black hole. They checked once more that no one was around then walked through the black hole and disappeared.

* * *

How'd you like it? I had fun with the kickball game. Did you think it was a little much? Before I forget, if there are any comments you don't want to put in a review, then feel free to e-mail me. Oh well, I'm off to write the next chapter.

Ja Ne  
Duos Gurl


	7. Matchmaking & Discoveries

Hey Everyone! For a little while I was tempted to delete this story and never finish it because I thought that what I was writing in chapter 5, chapter 6, and this chapter was so incredibly corny that there wasn't any point in bothering to complete the story. However, as you can very well see, the thought didn't stay in my brain long. The thanks for that are largely in part to a few family members. Oh and please forgive me for the terrible title. I couldn't think of anything else to put. Anyway, that's all I'm gonna say…for now. Thanks!

This chapter is dedicated to Kitsune and Sakura! Kitsune you're bitching has totally helped, not to mention your idea that broke me outta the writer's block vortex from hell. Sakura reading your fic was a total inspiration to get going with this one again. Arigatoo to you both. I love y'all so much for all your support and encouragement.

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Authors Note: **Blah Blah Blah** Indicates a character's thoughts.

**Chapter 7  
Matchmaking & Discoveries**

After saying goodbye to the guys, the scouts, making sure the guys were gone, sprinted out of school. India was leaning against the cherry blossom tree with a proud smile on her face when she noticed the girls rushing out of the school. India's smile widened as she glanced down at her watch and then looked up when she heard her four friends' heavy breathing. Her smile grew when she saw their curious stares.

"Took y'all long enough. I was beginning to think that you'd decided not to show." India said.

"Of course…we…would show." Serena said between breaths.

"Yeah…you can't…just do something…like that and expect us not to come." Mina finished, her breathing returning to normal.

India gave a small giggle. "Why, I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about, Mina." India replied, smiling innocently.

"Oh! Come on India!"

"What Lita?"

"Don't give me that fake surprised look. You told us that you'd explain to us why you spontaneously invited the boys and all of us to go to the palace."

"Oh that!" India said, trying to act like she had truly forgotten about it. "Well, nothing too major, other than the fact that I wanted to get a jump start on this dance thing. Besides, I knew that Raye would spit fire if we didn't bring her along so I said we should get her."

"Well, what about 'Study Buddies?'"

"Oh Amy, we're going to be doing school work so what's the problem?" Mina asked.

"How exactly can you call that doing school work? We all know that all Lita and yourself will do is flirt with Neph and Mal. You both probably won't even think about the homework assignment until tomorrow morning, and then you'll scramble to get it done."

"Now wait just a minute!" Mina said insulted.

"Amy, even though they will flirt, I'm pretty sure that Neph and Mal will keep them at bay and focused on the assignment. They seem more serious about things than these two hormone-driven friends of ours." Serena explained with a teasing grin on her face.

"SERENA!" Lita said absolutely astounded.

With that, everyone burst into laughter, except Lita and Mina. After a little bit Serena said, "Oh, calm down Lita. I was only kidding." **Though it's mostly true.**

"Good thing." Lita mumbled with a smile.

"Come on guys, we need to get going if we want to get Raye and meet the guys on time."

"India's right." Mina said. "Amy, will you let us go? I don't know about Lita, but I'll feel terribly guilty if you won't."

Amy chuckled happily and replied, "All right, but you have to promise to actually work and not _completely_ flirt."

Lita and Mina simultaneously grinned and said, "We promise."

"Good. Now let's go meet Raye. I'm really anxious to see how gorgeous the Millennium Palace is up close."

India smiled and said, "Why Amy, are you saying that you're actually not wanting to study for a change?"

Amy blushed in response and the others laughed. The friends walked toward the temple chatting endlessly, unaware of what the future held in store for them.

* * *

A light breeze blew through the trees as the bell from Tokyo Private Junior High rang, marking the end of the school day. Raye stood up from her desk and began packing up her books while she listened to her teacher shout a reminder to the quickly diminishing class.

"Make sure to have your assignment on my desk _before_ the bell rings tomorrow."

Raye sighed thinking about the "fun" afternoon ahead.

"Tired?"

Raye smiled. "No, just thinking about the rest of my day."

"What are you going to be doing?" Jed asked.

"Nothing too terribly interesting. I'll wait and do the homework assignment later tonight. As far as the afternoon's concerned, I get to work around the temple."

"Sounds like a fun filled afternoon." Jed said with a grin.

"Oh yeah! Let me tell ya!"

Jed laughed at her sarcastic tone and the look that accompanied it. "I'll take your word for it. Anyway, I better go. I have to meet up with a few friends. I'll talk to you later."

"Me too. I have to beet them to the temple or I'll never hear the end of it. See ya!" Raye replied as she waved bye to the retreating figure of Jed.

He turned and walked toward the door of the classroom, smiling contently. "Bye."

Meanwhile, Raye checked to make sure she had all her books, trying her hardest not to react to the feelings inside herself.

Right as Jed reached the door, he heard one of three nearby girls say, "Did you see that new kid, Jed?"

He proceeded through the door, smiling at the girls' quick silence and looks of hope that he didn't hear their comment. Instead of walking off down the hall, Jed stayed close to the door to listen in on what his three female classmates had to say about him.

Raye having heard the girl's comment, immediately dug out a spiral and began flipping through its pages. She then turned around, with her back to the girls, and acted as if she was concentrating on something vitally important, so she didn't alert them to the fact that she was eavesdropping on their every word.

After a sigh of relief, the girls resumed their conversation. "Are you actually serious!" A second girl asked astonished.

"She's right. Oh my goodness! How could anyone miss him!" The third girl exclaimed.

"Tell me about it. He was totally gorgeous!" The first girl drooled.

Meanwhile, out in the hall, Jed held a cocky grin. **Gorgeous, huh?** He chuckled. **I bet Malachite, Nephlite, and Zoycite aren't being praised like this.** As a quiet fit of laughter from the girls reached his ears, he tuned out his thoughts and continued listening, still possessing his cocky grin.

**No doubt about that! **Raye thought. **I coulda told anyone that much when he walked through the door.** She blushed and then quickly returned her thoughts to the giggling girls.

"I know what you mean. I doubt there is another guy as gorgeous as Jed." The third girl said.

Jed smirked and turned to leave with a satisfied ego. Raye quietly giggled as she turned around, put the spiral back, and started to leave when she heard the girl's next comment.

"Man! If you think Jed's gorgeous, wait till I tell you about the hottie I saw Friday in the park." The second girl commented.

Simultaneously, Raye and Jed froze and thought, **The guy in the park! On Friday!**

"What are you talking about?" The first girl questioned.

"Well, Friday after school, I decided to take a side trip through the park before I went home to do the homework assignment. Anyway, I was about halfway through when I heard a scream. I sped in the direction the scream came from, to see if I could be of some help. Instead of finding someone being mugged, like I expected, I saw five girls in sailor outfits, two of which were screaming, a hideous looking monster covered in roses, and the most handsome guy I've ever seen. He was wearing an all black suit-looking outfit that showed the guy knew what to wear."

"No way." The third girl stated.

"If I'm lying, I'm dying."

"You can't honestly say that he was more handsome than Jed?" The first girl said.

"It's hard to decide. They're both _really_ yummy. Anyway, I looked at him for a few seconds, but that's all I got." The second girl said dejectedly.

"Why!" The third girl exclaimed.

"What was his name?" The first girl asked.

"I don't know. That grotesque monster gave a high pitched scream and I passed out. When I woke up they were all gone." The second girl finished.

**She was there!** Jed thought. **How could I have missed her? She couldn't have been that hidden. Besides, my keen senses would have picked up her approach. Why hadn't I noticed her there?** Jed leaned against the wall outside the classroom and crossed his arms attempting to find the answer to his question.

After a few strained minutes, his eyes grew large with surprise. **As much as I hate to admit this, it was because of Sailor Mars. I paid more attention to her during the battle than I did on the battle itself. What was I thinking!** He condemned. **She's throwing this mission into the express lane to difficult and complicated as hell _real_ fast. Jed, old boy, it's time to focus and get this over with.** He coached himself.

The girls changed the subject and then left the classroom. They didn't see Jed, however, because, among the storm of thoughts in his brain, he heard the girls approach and quickly ran around the corner and waited till the girls passed him. **I've got to be more cautious in the future. Not to mention keeping my emotions in check. I can't continue to let them rule over my actions.** With a determined set to his jaw, Jed stepped back around the corner and walked right into Raye.

"I'm sorry." They simultaneously said.

Raye and Jed looked up into each other's eyes and stared. It seemed they were searching for something, but they didn't know what it was or where it could be found.

After a few awkward moments, Jed cleared his throat and said, "Uh…see ya Raye."  
"Bye…Jed."

Jed quickly turned around the corner and searched for an empty room. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew he had to get away from Raye and fast. Once inside a classroom, he double-checked that no one was around and made sure no one was coming, and then disappeared.

* * *

Raye sighed as the gentle breeze blew across her face. She had been thinking back through her day and sighed again. **How could I have been so foolish? I didn't even realize she was there. How could I have let Jedite affect me so greatly?**

Raye, angered by her actions, began sweeping the temple grounds when she heard her friends coming around the corner. She stilled her sweeping, smiled, and thought **Looks like Serena is on a roll. Guess she's enjoying the better grades. Well, at least Study Buddies will take my mind off things for a while. Besides, any afternoon with Serena is guaranteed to be entertaining.**

Raye silently giggled as she looked up to see the girls ascending the stairs, all full of smiles and laughter. She smiled in return and said, "Hey there guys!"

"Hey Raye!" Lita greeted.

Before the rest could offer their greetings, a grinning Raye said, "Well, this is certainly a change Serena, two days straight now. I'll be utterly amazed if you can actually accomplish a whole entire week without detention."

"Ha ha ha." Serena unenthusiastically responded.

The girls then began laughing. "Hey Raye?"

"Yes India?"

"Are you busy this afternoon? Say about fivish?"

Raye held a questionable expression and replied, "Not really. Why do you ask?"

India glanced at the others and grinned. "Well, we volunteered to help with a dance at the Millennium Palace and the other girls' teacher said for their homework assignment they had to sketch an idea they had about the decorations. Anyway, none of us have seen it and we decided that we would go up there and check it out to see what we could come up with. You wanna come along?"

"Sure! I volunteered too so I guess I have no choice in the matter. Besides, I've wanted to go and see what it looks like from up close for the longest time. I gotta see if it's as gorgeous as the rumors say it is." Raye said with a wink and smile.

"Great!" India smiled.

"Just give me a few seconds to go change, okay?" Raye asked. She started to walk away as she saw the looks of approval on the girl's faces.

Within minutes Raye was changed and the group of friends was off to the Millennium Palace, right on schedule.

On the way there, the girls chatted about anything and everything. Among the constant gossip, Raye heard, "Hey Raye, did a new guy enroll at your school today?"

Raye was caught off guard by the question and the feeling it arose within her that it took a while for her to answer. "Why yes, someone did Amy."

"Was his name Jed Blaze?"

"How'd you know that Mina?"

"Well Raye, I don't know if Jed mentioned this or not, but he has three friends who also enrolled today at Crossroads and they're in our class." Lita answered grinning brightly.

Raye thought back to the beginning of the day and then she said, "Oh! I remember now! He mentioned three friends that enrolled at Crossroads, but he didn't say what their names were."

"Well, India invited his three friends to come along as well since they volunteered too." Amy commented.

"Just for helpful information, their names are Mal, Neph, and Zoy. Not to difficult to remember, huh?" Lita said.

"Not for me. Now Serena on the other hand…"

"Oh shut up, Raye!" Serena glared when the other girls started laughing. When the laughing subsided, Serena smiled and said, "Who knows, maybe they will bring Jed along. It'll be kinda cool to see all four of them together, since they've known each other since they were kids."

The other girls resumed chatting while Raye spaced. **Oh I hope they do, but I pray that they don't. I mean I want to see him, not completely sure why yet, but at the same time I'm afraid that we might get into another tense moment like we did at school. I swear it was like he was trying to run away from me.**

"Raye? Raye? Are you in there?" Serena said while waving a hand in front of Raye's face.

"Huh? What?"

"Is everything all right?" Mina asked.

"Yeah! Sorry I was just thinking about school for a sec. No worries!" Raye said.

"Okay then." Mina said.

The group of gossiping friends continued weaving in and out of fellow Tokyo citizens along the street to their destination.

* * *

RING RING RING

"Hello?"

"Darien?"

"Hey Andrew! What's up?"

"Not too much. Do you feel that?"

"You mean that nagging, uneasy feeling in the air?"

"Yeah!"

"I felt it when I woke up from my nap I had earlier in the park."

"Do you know what it is?"

"I think it might be a sign that the Negaverse is up to something."

"That's what I thought too."

"You have any idea where?" Darien asked stumped.

"Well, I was out walking around earlier and I happened to be near the place where the new Millennium Palace was built and…I dunno…something just didn't feel right."

"I guess we should go check it out."

"That would be my choice."

"So I guess I'll see you in ten to fifteen then?"

"I'll be there."

"Great! See ya in a few!"

"Later!"

The two hung up their phones. Darien grabbed his keys, jacket, and helmet, locked his apartment door, and went to the elevator. Once inside, he pushed the button for the parking garage and waited patiently. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Darien walked to his motorcycle, got on, started it, and then left the garage. **Something is definitely going on. The feeling is stronger than before. **He thought as he made his way to the Millennium Palace.

Andrew grabbed his keys and walked to his car. He went to open the door when he paused and looked up at the sky. **I don't like the feel of this. We have to figure out what is causing this and stop it.** He opened his door and got in. He then proceeded to start the car and sped off to meet Darien.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, the group of chattering girls had come into view of the Millennium Palace and was captivated by its spectacular beauty. They continued on, still chatting until they were within a few feet of the magnificent structure. As they were walking up to the palace, they noticed the four guys, Jed, Neph, Zoy, and Mal, standing and looking at the delicate structure.

"Hey there guys!" Lita greeted with a wave.

"Hi!" Neph said, turning and waving in return.

They also noticed two others standing nearby, talking quietly. They soon realized that the two mysterious guys were none other than Darien and Andrew.

"Darien!" India exclaimed surprised.

"Andrew?" Serena said puzzled.

"Hey you two! Hey girls!" Darien said holding a bright smile.

"What are you two doing here?" Serena asked.

"We were about to ask you guys the same thing?" Andrew replied also smiling.

"Well we're here because of a homework assignment. What about you two?" Amy answered.

"Oh us…" Andrew looked at Darien for assistance. "Um…"

"We're enjoying the scenery. I didn't have any classes today and Andrew was off so I asked if he wanted to go for a drive and see where we'd end up and here we are." Darien grinned foolishly.

"Oh…okay then. Well that's what we're pretty much doing as well. Why don't y'all come along with us?" Serena asked.

"Sure why not. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to help you on your assignments." Andrew said with a smile.

By this time, Neph, Zoy, Jed, and Mal had come over to the little group the girls and the two guys had formed. "Oh I'm so sorry!" Amy apologized when she saw the guys join them. "Darien Shields and Andrew Crown this is Zoy Waters, Neph Star, Mal Rose, and Jed Blaze." Amy said pointing to each guy as she introduced him to each other. "This lovely person here is the other friend we mentioned. This is Raye Hino."

"Hey!" Darien, Andrew, and Raye said.

"Nice to meet ya!" Zoy said on behave of himself and his other friends.

"Well, now since that's all settled, what do you say we start on the homework assignment?" Serena said all fired to go.

"Oh my goodness! I thought I'd never see the day that Serena is ready to do homework." Mina teased.

"Be nice Mina. Things and people can change you know. All though I'm sure this is just a temporary thing for Serena." Lita said in response.

"Thanks a lot Lita. You're a huge help." Serena said with a smile.

"I know this." Lita responded grinning.

The group started to laugh at the scene. "Okay, now really, we need to get started so we won't be here all night. This assignment _is_ due tomorrow."

"Amy's is right. How are we going to go about this?" Zoy asked.

"He does have a point. This is quite a massive building." Mal pointed out.

"Well how about we spilt into groups?"

"Good idea Raye. Now the only question is who goes in what group?" Jed asked.

"Hmm…I know! Since the majority of us have the same assignment due tomorrow, let's split up accordingly: Jed and Raye, Amy and Zoy, Mal and Mina, and Lita and Neph." India said grinning.

"Okay, but then what about you and Serena?"

"Don't worry about that, Lita. We will all go together." Darien said happily.

"Yeah I'm sure we can accomplish this simple task with four heads." Andrew said suppressing a giggle.

Serena playfully elbowed him and then said, "Okay, let's all meet back here in about say an hour or two? Is that good for everyone?"

The unanimous reply was, "Yep!" With that established, the group of friends split and went their separate ways.

Unbeknownst to them, there were two sets of eyes lurking in the bushes watching everything that had just occurred.

* * *

What's with those eyes? Are they a good or bad thing? You'll have to read on if you want to find out. Take care everyone. Till next time, later!

Ja Ne  
Duos Gurl


	8. Mystery All Around

HiYa! As you know, I'm in college so finding time between my homework and papers to write is a little difficult. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and please review. I really need to know how I'm doing andI want to know what you think about this new chapter. Any pointers, ideas, or criticism please give at will. Hope you like it!

This chapter is dedicated to Roy. Thank you so much for believing in me and supporting me in all that I do. I know you may never read this, but I still want to thank you. Thanks so much!

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Authors Note: **Blah Blah Blah** Indicates a character's thoughts.

**Chapter 8  
****Mystery All Around**

"This is breathtaking!"

"You're absolutely right, Mina. It really helps you to relax. It's like there is a force that pulls you to forget everything."

The Millennium Palace stood on the highest point in Tokyo and was surrounded by a luscious forest, except on the backside. The forest fell off to reveal a cliff and the sparkling ocean as far as the eye could see. About ten feet from the cliff's drop off, a white gazebo was facing the ocean. Mina and Mal had wondered to the this side of the palace when everyone split up and now just stood, amazed and mesmerized by the sight.

"How cool!" Mina said in a chipper voice as she ran into the gazebo, dropping her book bag just outside the entrance, and leaning on the closest rail to the ocean, just relishing at the perfect view.

Mal caught his breath. Mina closed her eyes and smiled as the soft breeze brought the mist from the waves at the cliff's base up across her face. Mal looked at the sight before him and gave a quiet sigh. **She _is_ gorgeous.**

The sun was about to completely set and Mal had the perfect view of Mina. The slight breeze was blowing her golden hair slightly across her face. With the sun's rays cascading over her figure, it looked like she was enveloped in gold. All of a sudden, Mal found himself walking toward the gazebo. **What am I doing?** Shaking his head to forget the question, he continued closing the distance between Mina and himself until he was a few inches from her.

Mal smiled and said, "You look like you were born here."

Mina had been so engulfed in the moment that she hadn't heard or sensed Mal's approach. However, she wasn't startled. She didn't jump like she and countless others normally would have done. She simply stood there, still smiling, and felt a complete sense of happiness. Oddly, it wasn't only this spectacular place that made her feel this way. It seemed to be also because of the person behind her.

Mina turned around and just stood there with her eyes shut for a few seconds. Then she raised her head a few inches and opened her eyes. When she opened them she was looking straight into Mal's eyes. "So do you, Mal Rose."

For a few seconds they just stood there looking at each other. It seemed that Mal was searching her eyes with a kind of longing. Slowly and steadily, the two moved closer, their eyes closing. A slight breeze blew across their cheeks as their lips touched. Mina felt as if a charge of electricity had surged her to life through the touch of Mal's lips. **Was that the mist from the waves again?** She raised her arms and wrapped them around Mal's neck. **It can't be. I've never felt this way before. I need to stop this right now.** Mina parted her lips and was about to pull back, but at that instant Mal snaked his arm around her waist and deepened the kiss. **I can't stop! **Mina then returned the ferocity of Mal's kiss.

**Oh man! What is this? I knew I was growing attracted to her, but this isn't me. She is merely a common Earthling.** Mal started to step away, but before it was completed, Mina started wrapping her fingers in his hair and he was gone.

For both of them, it was like they were in space. There was nothing around them, but an endless sea of sparkling white stars. The sun had completely set and the moon had come out now. The moon was positioned such that if someone was at the back door of the Millennium Palace and looked at the two kissing it would look like the moon was the backdrop of a beautiful picture. They just stood there kissing, enjoying each other when a picture flashed simultaneously in their minds. The picture was two people, quite similar to Mina and Mal, kissing in a white gazebo with the Earth directing behind them.

They broke the kiss, slowly pulled away and just looked at each other, smiling and trying to catch their breath. They were lost in each other's eyes and then Mal leaned in to kiss her again when they heard a rustle near by.

Mal pulled back and they both looked in the direction the rustle came from. "What was that?" Mina asked somewhat hoarsely.

"I don't know." Mal said letting go of Mina. "But I'm going to find out."

"Well, then I'm coming to." Mina said.

"I don't think so."

"Well, I do and that's that. I'm coming along." Mina finished while crossing her arms over her chest, stubbornly.

Mal grinned. **She looks cute when she's being stubborn.** "You are an adventurous one, aren't you?"

"More than you know."

With that, Mal and Mina walked toward the nearby trees. They walked quietly up to the bush they thought the noise came from with Mal protectively in front of Mina. When they were five feet away, they heard the rustle again from the bush directly in front of them. They moved forward to where they were two feet away and Mal squatted down and reached his hand toward the bush. When he was mere inches from touching the bush, an object jumped out and hit him in the chest knocking him backwards. Mal, forgetting about the thing that just hit him, tried to maintain his balance, but couldn't and then fell to the ground. Mina, however, saw what the object was. **Luna?** Then like magic, the cat was gone. **I could have sworn that was Luna. But why would she be here?**

Without missing a beat, Mina went to Mal's side. "Are you okay? You aren't hurt are you?"

Mal sat up on his elbows and answered, "I'm fine. Don't worry. What was that thing? I was too busy trying to maintain my balance that I didn't see what it was."

"Oh, it was just a cat."** A cat that I get to chat with later. **"It must've been spooked by something."

**Yeah, probably by me. **Mal thought as he stood up and brushed himself off. "Aww, the poor thing. It probably just doesn't like humans."

"Might be. You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine, Mina." Then he mumbled, "Let me show you."

"Wha-" Mina started to say, but was cut off by Mal's lips on hers. Mal had swiftly stepped forward, pulled Mina to him, wrapped his arms around her, and soundly kissed her. Mina was hesitant, but as soon as the situation registered in her brain, she relaxed into Mal and began to return the kiss. She worked her arms around his neck and parted her mouth. Mal took the invitation and deepened the kiss once more. Mina gave a soft moan and Mal about lost it.

He pulled away and said hoarsely, "Wait a second."

Mina, with wide eyes at the abrupt movement, replied, "What's wrong, Mal?"

"Nothing, Mina. It's just that…I only met you today and..."

Mina smiled. "It's okay, Mal. I understand. We do need to slow down. I'd hate to see the others come looking for us and find us this way. I don't think that either of us would ever hear the end of it."

Mal chuckled. "I agree. I swear your friends and my friends are just alike."

"Well, I dunno about that." Mina said with a wink.

With that statement said, Mal and Mina just stood staring at each other with smiles on their faces. Then a wave crashed at the bottom of the cliff and the mist floated across Mina's and Mal's face. As soon as they both felt the mist, they started laughing.

"What do you say we start working on this project, huh?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Mina walked back to the back wall of the palace and stood looking at it. The lights had come on and shown at different angles so the entire palace was able to be seen. Mina smiled at the palace's beauty and then turned to Mal. "What do you think we could do back here?"

"I dunno. I'm not really a decorating kinda guy."

"Nonsense, Mal. Everyone can decorate things. Some just have to work at it harder than others." Mina smiled as she walked to where she dropped her book bag earlier and got out her spiral notebook and a pencil. She then walked back over to Mal, who was looking at the palace and obviously thinking.

Mina opened the spiral and wrote "Decoration Ideas" at the top of the page and asked, "Okay, you got any ideas?"

"Maybe..." He turned to Mina and starting talking to her. She wrote something down and then stuck the pencil behind her ear and, holding the spiral tight in her left hand, she started waving her hands and pointing to various things while describing what she had thought of. Mal and Mina took turns talking and coming up with ideas while a pair of hazel eyes watched the two from the shadows thinking **Interesting...**

**

* * *

**

**I can't believe I let India talk me into this. Next time, it's gonna be guys and girls. No mixing.** Amy vented mentally while walking next to Zoy on the way to her house and trying to think of anything but Zoy.

Zoy glanced at Amy and inwardly sighed. **She seems like something is bothering her, but yet she still looks beautiful. **Zoy caught himself, looked away from Amy, and stared in front of him. **Zoycite, get a grip!**

Amy cleared her thoughts and quickly looked at Zoy and smiled. "I must say, that was a successful and fun project today. Don't you agree, Zoy?"

Zoy heard Amy's question and snapped out of his mental scolding and smiled as he put his arms behind his head. "Yes I do. I must admit that I was a little skeptical about the idea at first, but it turned out really great. Everyone's ideas were amazing."

"Yeah! I think that this is one assignment that Serena will definitely get an "A" on. Though, I'm not sure how much of the ideas that India, Darien, Andrew, and she came up with were hers, but still. She and the other girls got more work done today than they have in the last two weeks of 'Study Buddies.'"

Zoy chuckled. "Well I guess they really enjoyed this assignment." Zoy looked over at Amy and asked, "Did you enjoy the assignment as well, Amy?"

She looked at him and blushed slightly. "Yes I did. I don't usually get to express my creative side. It was definitely enjoyable." **Especially with you helping me.** She blushed more.

He grinned and replied, "Well we'll have to get you to do this kind of thing more often."

She smiled. "We will see. This is me." She stopped in front of a gate which opened to a walkway that led up a few steps to the front door of a little two story, sky blue house. "Thanks for walking me home. You didn't have to, but I appreciate it none the less."

"No problem. I had to get something nearby anyway. Besides, what kind of gentleman would I be if I let a be...girl walk home alone in the dark?"

She chuckled and smiled. "I see your point." The two stood on the sidewalk smiling into each others eyes for a minute when the wind blew gently. Amy reached up and hooked her hair behind one ear and said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow in class."

"Yep."

"Goodnight, Zoy."

"Night, Amy." He watched as Amy opened the gate, walked down the walkway and up the few steps to the front door. Once she had unlocked it, she turned and waved goodbye. He waved back and smiled as she went in and closed the door. Still smiling, he walked down the street and turned around a corner into an alley. He kept walking until he faded away, still smiling and thinking about a blue haired beauty.

Meanwhile, after Amy closed the door, she leaned on it and sighed. **Today was good. No, it was terrific. I've never had a better time. **She then gathered her thoughts and went upstairs to her room.

Unbeknownst to them both, a pair of hazel eyes had been following them since they left the Millennium Palace. Once Zoy left Amy's house and Amy was on her way up to her room, the being thought aloud, "Very interesting indeed."

* * *

Zoycite rematerialized in his "Negaverse General Outfit" and was fixing to join his comrades when he heard talking and decided to stay concealed in the shadows and listen in a bit.

"Looks like you had fun, Jedite."

"Oh shut it, Nephlite"

"He's right, Jedite."

"Well Malachite, you can't say that you didn't."

"What are you talking about?" Malachite asked defensively.

Nephlite smirked. "Oh please. That smile on your face when you and Mina came back wasn't your acting smile."

"Yes it was."

"Are you sure? It sure looked like a genuine one." Nephrite smirked.

"What about you?"

"Yeah Nephlite. What exactly happened between you and Lita?" Jedite asked, seeking retribution.

"Nothing. We just did the assignment."

"Uh-huh." Jedite said.

"Sure." Malachite agreed. Then the three erupted into teasing and taunting comments about each other.

After a few minutes of listening to their bickering, Zoycite burst into laughter. He continued laughing till the others heard him and stopped talking. "What the...?" They said together, looking around for the owner of the laughter.

"Seems to me that you all had a good time, whether you care to admit it or not." He walked out of the shadows smirking and with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Is that right?" Jedite asked.

"Yes."

"Then tell us Zoycite, what took you so long to come back?" Malachite questioned.

"I walked Amy home and we talked a little bit before she went in. That's it."

Nephlite was about to comment when they all heard, "JEDITE! ZOYCITE! MALACHITE! NEPHLITE!"

They all formed a straight line and bowed as Queen Beryl materialized in front of them. "Yes, Queen Beryl?" They asked in unison.

"Report your progress. Nephlite..."

They all rose and Nephlite told her the plan. After he finished, she thought about it a moment, then said, "Good idea. Surely, this time you won't fail since you're working together."

"Certainly not, My Queen."

"Good, because you all know how much we need that energy."

"Yes, My Queen."

"Very well. Proceed with the plan."

They all bowed again and said, "As you wish, Queen Beryl." She then disappeared and the four generals were left alone.

"Okay, no more bickering. We have a lot to do so we will be ready."

"Nephlite is right." Malachite agreed and began listing what needed to be done. Zoycite and Jedite soon followed suit and the four generals were so completely immersed in devious planning that the four girls were pushed to the back of their minds.

* * *

"There we go."

Lita put the last dish from her supper away and looked around her kitchen happily while drying her hands with a dish towel. She yawned and put the towel on the counter.

"Goodness! Guess it's time for bed." She turned the kitchen light off and made sure the front door was locked, then turned the rest of the lights off and headed to her bedroom. She walked in her room after telling her mom goodnight and changed into her pajamas.

Once she was changed, she took her hair out of its ponytail and brushed her hair, still smiling. When she finished, Lita turned off her lamp, stretched, and climbed into bed.

Once she was comfortable, she simply laid and stared at the ceiling, thinking back through her day. "Today was fun. Not just for me, but for everyone. I don't think I have ever seen Amy have as much fun as she did today. And the guys tried to act like they didn't enjoy themselves, but anyone could see that they were having an absolute blast. I hope tomorrow will be equally as fun."

Lita then closed her eyes and with a broad smile on her face, fell fast asleep and began dreaming. She saw a frozen lake completely devoid of anyone, with powder like snow for as far as the eye could see, and the sky filled with bright stars. She then found herself skating, feeling as free as a bird and perfectly at home.

At about the same time, an exhausted Nephlite lay down in bed and sighed. "Man! Planning an attack always wears me out. Hopefully tomorrow will prove to be a bit better." He quickly fell asleep and began dreaming. He was walking along a path through powder like snow enjoying the tranquility and peace of his situation. He continued wondering along the path until he saw someone skating on the nearby lake. He continued walking toward the lake until he saw who it was that was skating. He stopped walking and watched the beautiful creature, for he was mesmerized by her grace and beauty.

Lita skated freely, not paying attention to anything else but her skating and the absolute sense of freedom she felt. As she completed her final trick, she heard applause. She turned, shocked to know that someone was watching her, and, with her breathing slightly labored, she sighted someone. She couldn't really tell who it was, because the face was fuzzy, but she felt that it was a man that she knew.

"Beautiful. That was wonderful."

"Thank you." She smiled at the man.

"Care to sit and rest a bit?" He motioned to a bench near the side of the lake.

"Yes, thank you."

**Who is this woman?** Much like Lita, Nephlite could not see her face, for it was blurry, but he did know that he knew the girl from somewhere.

He accompanied her to the bench, where she changed back into her shoes. Then the two simply sat in silence enjoying the serenity of the moment.

"It's such a wonderful view from here." Lita commented.

"Yes. The stars are so bright and alive." Nephlite replied.

"Almost as if..." Lita started while reaching her hand up toward the sky.

"You could reach out and touch them." Nephlite finished with her, also reaching up and touching her hand.

They turned, lowered their hands, and looked into each others eyes. Lita blushed with a smile and Nephlite smiled in return. They began leaning into each other and... BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Nephlite slammed his hand down on top of his alarm clock and tried to continue the dream, but couldn't. He reluctantly got out of bed with a growl.

"What's wrong with you?" Jedite asked. "Bad dream?"

"No! Good dream."

Jedite looked at him puzzled as he got up and started getting ready for his second day of school.

Lita shut off her alarm, got out of bed with a frown, walked to her mirror, and began angrily brushing her hair.

"Damn it all!" She grumbled. "Go figure. Oh well. It was still a good dream. I wonder who that guy was."

She continued getting ready for school wondering, but she wore a smile at the hope that she might meet that guy one day soon.

* * *

There you have it. Like I said earlier, I'm in desperate need of knowing what you think of my writing. Compliments and criticism alike are welcome. Every review helps with my writing. Take care everyone!

Ja Ne  
Duos Gurl


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